Cataclysm
by Witch of Swords
Summary: During the final battle, Naraku escapes through the well. After a hard debate, the gang leaves the Feudal Era behind forever to hunt him down. And, when they reach Kagome's time, they meet some new, albeit strange, allies. WARNING: Very Strong Language
1. Prologue

Author's notes:

It has been a while since I last read Inuyasha or watched YuYu Hakusho, so I can't remember everything perfectly. I will try my very best to keep the characters to their personalities, although they will obviously be a little different.

Summary: This takes place in Kagome's era, with all of the characters of both series involved. A lot of personalities, but I think I can handle them. To find out what happens, you'll just have to read it (^_^).

There are several couples, the most prominent two being Hiei/Kagome and Yusuke/Keiko. Hopefully, I don't go over the top and get my story across.

I know that the idea of Hiei/Kagome's been done to death, but I decided I'd still take a shot at it. Besides, it's awesome to be able to exploit the very seldom-seen soft side, with some one other than Yukina.

WARNING: If you haven't finished both series, this WILL contain some spoilers.

* * *

The field was deathly still as the mini-army faced off against the dark hanyo.

"Well well, isn't this a cozy sight? The half-breed and his brother fighting alongside each other, and the mikos not at each other's throats."

Naraku threw his head back and barked out a laugh that made the entire group tense.

Without warning, both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru swung their swords. A massive wave of light shot out of the Tetsusaiga while the Tokijin released a large spike of red energy. Naraku easily avoided it, but then the two mikos' arrows shot through the air.

They both struck and massive amounts of holy energy began to fill him before they disintegrated, destroyed by the hanyo's internal poison.

"What? No witty banter? How unlike you, Inuyasha."

"Naraku, today, you die! Hiraikotsu!"

The massive boomerang left the slayer's hand and made a direct hit on Naraku's chest, shredding apart his barrier in the process.

"Kazaana!"

The hole in Miroku's hand sprang into life and everything nearby began to get sucked into the void, Naraku included. And then the Seimyousho came, and his hand was pulled shut by Sango.

"You have too much poison in your system," she said as a large arrow burst through the advancing insects. With a burst of pink energy, they were nothing but ashes, and Kagome pointed her next at Naraku.

"So tell me, how did this little alliance come to be in place?" Naraku asked, unaffected by any of the attacks as his body kept regenerating.

Kikyo notched an arrow and moved so she was right next to Kagome, who didn't seem paranoid as she should be. Naraku frowned. Something was different…

"No matter how much we hate each other, everyone here hates you more, Naraku," Inuyasha said, preparing to release the wind scar.

Naraku felt all of the power building up around him and even with his vast power, Naraku had no doubt that he would die.

Kikyo and Kagome watched as their miko energies resonated with each other, building the purifying energy. Energy built up within Tokijin and the monk prepared several powerful sacred sutras with his power. Sango prepared to swing her large boomerang. All at once, they released. There was a blinding, golden light that filled the entire field as the mikos' powers mixed with the inu youkais'. And in the middle of it, two arrows and a mass of paper flew. Coming from the side was the boomerang.

Naraku was smart enough to know when to retreat, and that's just what he did. His body lifted high into the sky and he disappeared. Everything surrounding the field was obliterated when the holy energies mixed with the youki hit.

"Damnit!" Inuyasha snarled as the dust cleared.

"It would seem he has escaped," Sesshomaru sighed, sheathing his blade.

Sango caught the Hiraikotsu on its return and she snarled at where the hanyo had been.

Meanwhile, Kagome and Kikyo simply walked to the spot and found that there was a large, purified pile of ashes where Naraku had been standing. They hadn't purified him, but the sheer power of their attack had certainly done significant damage.

"What do you believe he will do next?" Kikyo asked the miko next to her, who was staring at the sky where Naraku had disappeared.

"I don't know. With this kind of damage, he'd have to go into hiding for a while."

"Something wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, noticing her strange expression.

"Well, not really. It's just that the way he was going… It would put Kaede's village right in his path if he kept going in a straight line… But what are the odds he'd be that idiotic?"

"The same odds of us working together," Inuyasha said, indicating Sesshomaru and Kikyo, who both nodded agreement.

And then, they were off. Kirara grew and both Sango and Miroku climbed onto her back as Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru began to charge forward. Kikyo seemed to have no trouble keeping up with the demons' pace, and soon the night began to fall. They didn't stop, and before they knew it, they were at the edge of Kaede's village.

"I sense him," Kagome said, looking around.

"Where?" Inuyasha growled, grabbing his hilt.

"He's…"

Kagome's eyes widened and she shared a look with Kikyo before the two took off, the demons keeping up with ease.

"Where is the bastard?"

"He's in the forest. Right by the well."

Inuyasha cursed and drew Tetsusaiga before they crossed to the other end of the village and ran into the woods.

They finally stopped, after all the fatigue hit the group at once, at the edge of the Bone Eater's Well.

"Where is he?" Inuyasha growled, his sword prepared to strike.

"It seems his energy has vanished inside the well," Kikyo said, frowning in confusion.

"Oh shit," Kagome said, making everyone look at her with surprise. She never cursed, and she barely used such a scared tone when talking.

"What is this well, woman?" Sesshomaru asked, angry that his sense of smell also stopped in the bottom of the well.

Kagome bent over the lip of the well and her body began to shake.

"If he actually somehow went in there…"

She trailed off, suddenly fearing for her family. She began to jump in when a strong hand caught her wrist and she turned to find Sesshomaru gripping her.

"This is the Bone Eater's Well," Kikyo said, frowning. "Why would Naraku's presence suddenly vanish?"

Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver and pulled away from Sesshomaru.

"Because he came out somewhere else," she said, beginning to jump in once again. This time, it was Inuyasha who grabbed her, and she practically snarled.

"Back off, Inuyasha. If he went in there, he came _out_ there, too. In _my_ shrine. Near _my _family."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement but didn't loosen his grip.

"Yeah. And jumping in after the bastard's such a great idea."

"This Sesshomaru demands to know what the woman is talking about," the inu taiyoukai said, frowning.

Kagome pulled free and spun around. She focused a rather large amount of her energy into the arrow before letting it fly into the well. It vanished halfway through. With a smile, she relaxed her grip. At Inuyasha's confused glare, she shrugged.

"You're not letting me go through, so the next best thing was to make sure that he runs. He's too injured to fight, and the possibility that my arrow can hit him from here should scare him away… At least, for a while."

Inuyasha sheathed his large blade and leaned back against a tree.

"How did that bastard even get through? It's not as if he's got your powers or a connection to that end."

Kagome frowned, and Miroku stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Perhaps it is his jewel shards," he said, making the group turn to stare at him. "Based on how I understand the circumstances, you came through and were able to travel in the well because of your connection to the jewel, correct?"

Kagome nodded and Miroku noted their two new companions' confused gazes.

"Perhaps you should explain it to them," he said, indicating the two.

Kagome gave them a very abbreviated version, which included how she was from the future, and was able to use the well to travel back. Eventually, she'd lost the need to have jewel shards to travel.

Sesshomaru looked at the well with curiosity while Kikyo was outright surprised.

"So this well is where you originated?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, before suddenly standing up.

"So let's go after the bastard," Inuyasha said, his knuckles cracking.

Kagome shook her head.

"You might want to think on that, Inuyasha."

"What? Why?" the hanyo growled. Just moments ago, she'd been ready to dive in after the bastard.

"He has all of the jewel shards that I don't. Without any jewel shards in the past, when I go through, it's likely the well won't work anymore."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped, but he quickly shook it off.

"Keh! I'll gladly be stuck in your time if I can kill that bastard."

"Maybe we should discuss this inside my sister's home," Kikyo said, heading for the hut. As the group silently nodded and headed after the miko, Kagome silently thought. She still couldn't get over the turn of events that had occurred…

Kagome and Inuyasha watched in horror as she was stabbed by Naraku. And then, he sensed their presences and vanished. The two rushed over to the nearly dead miko, who seemed different somehow.

"Ah, Inuyasha. Should've known you'd be here to watch me die."

Inuyasha stared in shock at the oddly… peaceful… tone to her voice. Almost as if she was content.

At least, that's what he thought until tears started to roll from her eyes. Apparently, even her clay body could form tears.

"How odd… I relished the idea of being set free from this accursed world, but now I suddenly… don't want to die…"

The tears grew more rapid and soon the miko's body was shaking.

"Hang on," her reincarnation yelled, her eyes filled with shock.

Kagome knelt down next to the miko and before she could protest, warm energy filled her body. Soon, the large gash in her chest was shrinking and the damage reversed.

"Why do you heal me?" Kikyo asked, more curious than anything else.

"You don't deserve to die. Especially not by that _beast_'s hands," Kagome said, focusing until all of the miko's wounds were gone.

Both Inuyasha and Kikyo were staring at her in shock, but she ignored it.

"If you want to repay me, then help us destroy him," she said, offering a bewildered Kikyo a hand up.

"I owe you nothing," she hissed out, glaring at her reincarnation.

"I know. But you'll stand a better chance with us than alone. There is power in numbers, and we all have the same enemy."

Kikyo smirked and straightened.

"You're telling me to join your little paradox of a group?"

"You want Naraku dead? Then yes, that's what I'm saying," Kagome said, frustrated.

Kikyo was surprised by her reincarnation's sudden boldness.

"Very well," she sighed. "We are allies until Naraku is dead, then."

The three walked back to their camp and everybody there was surprised to find Kikyo with them…

Kagome smiled. That had been a month ago, and things were very different now. While Kikyo and she weren't exactly friends, they'd come to a few rather peaceful understandings. One of which was Inuyasha, who Kagome had decided was meant for Kikyo. Another was that while the mikos may not like each other, they had respect for the immensity of each others' powers…

They reached Kaede's hut and before they even stepped in the door, a small ball of orange fur shot through the air, landing in Kagome's arms.

"Are you feeling better, Shippo?" she asked warmly.

The kit nodded enthusiastically before puffing out his chest.

"Ready to go! And it only took me a week to get over that stupid demon's poison," he said, smiling proudly. Kagome smiled as she went inside the hut, where everyone was already seated.

"So, what are we gonna' do?" Inuyasha asked, looking around. "We can't expect Kagome to stay here with that _thing_ in her era. And I'm sure as hell not letting the bastard get away."

Miroku looked at Sango, waiting. While he had few possessions, nothing more than what was on his person, he had _one_ thing to consider before leaving their time to travel to the future, though he was still a bit wary of the whole idea.

"Naraku needs to die," Sango said, looking at Kagome. "I will go," the slayer said to her friend.

"And I too, shall accompany you," Miroku said, his reason to stay behind no longer staying.

Kagome looked around at her friends, who each had a determined look on her face.

"I will stay here, waiting," Sesshomaru said, standing up. "You say that your time is five hundred years from today, correct, woman?"

Kagome nodded and Sesshomaru bowed slightly.

"Then I will meet you in five hundred years by the well," he said before disappearing. As much as she'd been expecting him to do so, she _hadn't_ been expecting it to be because he wanted to simply wait. And of course, the reason he wanted to wait was probably to gain more power until the time came.

"I too, shall wait," Kikyo said, standing as her soul collectors began circling outside. "And I expect to see you all in the future," she added before disappearing.

The group looked at each other and Kagome was suddenly aware of the shaking form in her arms.

She looked down into the teary eyes of the kitsune, who may as well been her son from the way they acted towards each other.

"You're leaving, Kagome? I won't see you again?"

She gently petted the kit's hair, shaking her head.

"Of course that's not true, Shippo. You're coming with me," she said, causing the kit to smile brilliantly.

"Alright. Now that that's all settled, everyone get everything you could possibly need, and then get sleep. We're going tomorrow night."

And with that, Inuyasha vanished as well.

"Well then, I'll be going out for a walk… I'll be back later," Miroku said, leaving the girls, and Shippo, alone.

"Sango-"

Her friend, who was closer to a sister, looked up and smiled at Kagome.

"This is going to sound strange coming from me," the young miko started, "but are you _absolutely_ sure you want to travel away from this era? I refuse to force anyone into this," she said, sitting next to her friend, Shippo cuddling into her chest.

Sango took in the words and smiled.

"The houshi is going. Kohaku is dead. Naraku is in your time. Nothing is keeping me here," she said, smiling sadly.

Kagome watched the emotions play across her friend's face as she relived watching Naraku rip the jewel from Kohaku's body before burning it to ashes. She was on the verge of crying, and Kagome wrapped her arms around her.

Sango's body began to shake violently as she let out her held-in frustration.

"He'll pay, Sango," she said quietly. "I promise you that he will pay for everything he's done. To all of us," she added, knowing that Inuyasha could hear her. Thoughts of Koga surfaced, and she quickly banished them. She was comforting Sango, and until Naraku was dead, she wasn't going to let herself feel the sadness…

"Thank you, Kagome," Sango said, snapping the miko out of her thoughts. "I want to go with you."

With that, it was finalized, and the rest of the day went by quickly. Kaede watched as their group began to make their preparations. By morning, Sango was weighed down with several poisonous weapons as well as a set of armor that she had made overnight. She had used the metal of Kohaku's scythe to make the taijiya armor, and she quickly followed Kagome to the springs the next morning, carrying it with her.

When they stopped and began to get undressed, Kagome noticed the armor and gave Sango a curious look.

"What's the armor for?" she asked, stepping into the warm spring water.

"Umm… I made it… For you," Sango said, smiling sheepishly.

"Me? Why? I'm not exactly a warrior," Kagome said, looking at the beautiful armor.

"You're more of a warrior than any of us, Kagome," Sango said, shifting into the water. "Since I met you, you've become so incredibly strong. So, I made it for you, as a symbol of your strength. You don't have to wear it… if you don't want to," she said, smiling at her friend.

Kagome sensed her friend's hurt and gasped.

"I wasn't saying anything like that, Sango! It's just, I wasn't sure why you'd make me armor. It's beautiful, though," she said, looking at the dark black armor, which was currently next to her own clothes.

Sango's expression cleared and she smiled.

"Thank you, Kagome."

The two talked as they cleaned, and soon they were getting out of the spring. Kagome looked at the armor with thought and then smiled before she slipped it on over her underwear.

She was amazed at how comfortable the armor was. It was slightly heavy, but incredibly light for all the plating on it. And it fit her body like a glove, which would make sense if Sango had made it specifically for her. As she moved her body experimentally, she noticed something else.

"My energy is hovering over it," she gasped, looking at the pink glow over the metal plates.

Sango smiled, pulling her own armor on.

"Glad you noticed. I couldn't make you a weapon with what I had on me, but I had enough reactants to focus your power into the metal. It should make the armor virtually demon-proof," the slayer said, smiling at her friend, who hugged her. And then, they walked back to Kaede's hut.

All of the occupants stared at Kagome's new armor, but none of them seemed to be surprised.

"Shall we go now?" Miroku asked, knowing everyone was already prepared.

The group nodded and left the hut. Kagome knelt down next to Kaede, who was smiling kindly.

"Thank you, Kaede. For everything," she said, wrapping her arms gently around the older miko, who smiled.

"It was no bother," she said, holding Kagome. "It was wonderful to know you, Kagome."

Kagome nodded, smiling. Then, she stood up and joined the rest of the group outside. As they left for the well, Kaede sighed.

"And may the kamis watch over you all," she breathed…

The group reached the well and Kagome quickly pulled out her jewel shards. There were three, two of which were her reminders of the wolf demon. She handed the first to Sango and the other to Miroku.

The well seemed to respond to the power outside, as the air became warm with a strange feeling.

"Let's go," she said, watching as Inuyasha jumped into the well. Kirara crawled into Sango's arm as she jumped in next, followed by Miroku. She was the last, and Shippo clung to her armor for dear life. As they exited on the other side, all of the power around them vanished. She looked up to see a bright, clear sky overhead. She would have thought they hadn't gone anywhere if she didn't see the massive wooden walls on either side.

Terrified, she quickly climbed out to find her group standing around the well, looking at where the roof should be.

As they handed back the jewel shards, Miroku frowned.

"Did this building always have that wooden, cracked hole?"

"That used to be the roof," she breathed, looking up.

There was a strong sense of youki outside and Kagome ran out only to meet the amused look of Sesshomaru.

"It seems we arrived just in time," he said, looking at the group. Kikyo appeared next to him, and she too seemed amused at Kagome's surprise.

"That is quite an impressive structure," Miroku said, looking at Kagome's house. She was about to tell him it was actually small when she was cut off.

"Kagome!"

She turned to find her mother staring at her in shock and she quickly ran over, Shippo still clinging to her.

"Hi, momma," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"Who was the man that destroyed the well house?" was all her mother asked. "He looked like he'd been torn apart. He just disappeared, too…"

Kagome tensed, turning back to the well house.

"A problem… Don't worry, though, momma. We're here to fix it," she said, her smile brighter.

She was overwhelmed with relief to learn that Naraku hadn't attempted anything on her family.

"We?"

Kagome smiled again and nodded.

"These are my friends, from the Feudal Era," she said, waving in their general direction.

Sango and Miroku stared at the woman, who smiled.

"I see… And they're here. Why is that?"

"Well, something happened, and they came with me…"

Kagome's mother frowned before letting it slide. For now.

"And you want to know if they can stay here."

Kagome blinked a few times, surprised.

"Yes?"

"Yes," the woman said, sighing in exasperation. "But we're going to talk about it."

With that, the woman walked back into the house. Kagome smiled as her friends walked over.

"What was that about?" Sango asked, confused.

"Nothing. She was just curious. Well, this is my house. Make yourselves at home," she said, quickly going through a verbal tour of the house.

It was quickly decided how everyone would be sleeping. Sesshomaru and Kikyo refused to stay in her house, no matter how friendly they now seemed, instead deciding to stay at someplace called 'Makai.' Shippo and Sango would share Kagome's room while Miroku would stay by himself. Inuyasha would have been sharing a room with him, but refused, instead deciding he liked the Goshinboku(1) better.

Shippo jumped from Kagome, following Sango and Miroku inside.

As they explored the 'mansion' Kagome went into the kitchen, Inuyasha right behind her.

"So, what's brought your friends to this time period?" her mother asked, obviously curious, but trying to appear stern and frustrated.

"Naraku disappeared from the past. He came out through the well. We followed him," Inuyasha said, leaning against the wall.

"Naraku? The hanyo you've been fighting against? He's here? How?" the woman asked, getting frantic.

"Relax, momma," Kagome said, sitting down next to her. "We're not letting him do anything here. It's why we followed him…"

"How did he come through?" she asked, looking at her daughter.

"We're not entirely sure, but we've got a theory. He has a massive part of the Shikon no Tama. We think the well reacted to the jewel's energy and let him through."

"Then how are all of your friends here? They don't have any shards," her mother said skeptically.

"They came through because I brought them with me. And I lent them my shards, since Inuyasha and I can go through without them, for some reason," she said, frowning.

"I see… Well then, nothing to be done. Hopefully they can handle the modern era as well as you, Inuyasha," she said, looking at the nervous hanyo.

"Yeah, let's hope on that," he said, smirking…

AN:

(1)It's been a while since I read Inuyasha, so I can't remember clearly if that's exactly how it's said, but I'm referring to the God Tree, in case I'm wrong.

Okay, so there's the prologue to my first x-over fanfic. I know there hasn't been any of Yusuke's group, but there will be plenty in the next chapter to make up for it. Hopefully, you enjoyed the story. If so, review. If you've a complaint or critique, review. Next chapter will be out in a while.

See you next time!

-Witch of Swords


	2. Hunt

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Hunt

It had been less than a day since their group had emerged from the Bone Eater's Well, and already, Shippo was wandering. Kagome smiled contentedly as she watched him run around the shrine grounds.

She followed him into the woods when he ran off, smiling.

And then, there was a pained cry and she ran off in the direction it had come from.

As she ran through the woods, her panic increased.

She reached a small clearing to find Shippo, bleeding, in the grip of a small man, dressed in black.

"Why are you in Ningenkai, fox?" he demanded, a flash of steel forming as the sword materialized by the kitsune's throat.

A small tingling sensation in the air was all the warning he had before an arrow shot through the air. Shippo hit the ground and started running toward her.

"Kagome!"

Shippo launched through the air and landed in Kagome's arms, practically crying in fear.

"Woman, release the fox immediately," he said, his sword shining in the daylight filling the clearing.

"Try to make me," she said, letting her miko energy flare a little. He wasn't impressed. She wasn't sure if he even felt it.

"I found that little thief in these woods. He's a danger to you," he said, thinking the girl was simply stupid and being tricked by some form of kitsune illusion.

"Kagome," the fox cried, burrowing his head into her chest, seeking protection.

"Take one step towards him, and I'll turn you into ashes," she said, letting more energy out. This time, he definitely felt it, and he raised his sword defensively.

"A miko?"

"Yes, I am," she said, glaring at the demon. "I won't kill you if you leave."

"Release the fox, miko. It's your duty to slay it, is it not?"

Suddenly, a man dressed in a suit with flowing red hair appeared from the trees, apparently deciding now would be a good point to intervene.

"If you take a step further, I'll purify you where you stand," Kagome said, holding Shippo tightly and letting her powers out even more.

"That will hardly be necessary," the red-head said, smiling. Kagome sensed the kitsune-bi inside of the man's body, so she wasn't ready to take his word for it.

"Leave, fox. The little beast had the audacity to bite me," the smaller demon said, his sword beginning to move.

"Bite you?" Kagome asked, blinking. "Shippo, why'd you bite him?"

"He said I was un… un… un-"

"Unauthorized, whelp," the small demon bit out.

"Yeah, that's it. And then he tried to take me away, so I bit him."

Kagome sighed, looking at the two demons.

"What's he 'unauthorized' to do?"

"Be here, in the Ningenkai," the demon bit out, glaring at the small kitsune. "He's to be taken in for questioning."

At that, Kagome glared, taking a protective hold on Shippo.

"You will not _touch_ my kit," she declared, her power flaring all around her.

"You think to stop me, miko?" the demon asked, a cruel smirk twisting his lips.

"Oi! What's all the noise!?" grumbled a deep, masculine voice near them.

When Inuyasha came into the clearing, he tensed at the sight before him.

"Who are you?" he barked out, his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"_Another_ demon? Oh wait, you're just a half-breed. Go away, dog."

Inuyasha growled and began to unsheathe Tetsusaiga when a rose wrapped around his arm, holding the blade still.

"That would be most unwise," said the red-headed fox.

"Kagome!"

The miko turned to find Sango, wielding her boomerang.

"We heard Shippo. What's going on?" she asked, looking at everyone in the clearing.

"Honestly? I don't have a clue… Why are you here, demons?" she asked the two standing before her.

"We wouldn't be here if that damned fox would have just died when I stabbed at him," the smaller of the two said, glaring at Shippo.

The red-head sighed, finally having had enough. The vine released its grip on Inuyasha and he stepped back.

"We're sorry for the intrusion. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kurama," he said, giving a slight bow. "And my irritated friend is Hiei."

Hiei just ignored him, his glare still focused on Shippo.

"I don't give a fuck who are you. You attacked my friend, and I don't like that," Inuyasha said, pulling the Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

Hiei snarled at the threat.

"You dare challenge me, half-breed?"

Kagome whistled, making everyone jump in surprise.

"That's enough. I don't know who you two are, but you're on _my _grounds, and you're going to leave."

Hiei smirked, his sword hefted over his shoulder.

"You're going to stop me?" he asked before his body vanished. Kagome suddenly found a cold, hard edge pressed to her throat, and her eyes moved. At her side was Hiei, and he was obviously more interested in her reaction than her death.

"What will you do now, when I can so easily grab him from your feeble human protection? How will you stop me?"

Kagome's eyes began to glow with white energy and she grabbed the blade, much to everyone's surprise. And then, her purifying energy began to snake up the metal, both holding it in place and reaching out to purify the demon.

He immediately let go and dove back to find the miko holding the hilt of his sword. The entire blade was now surrounded by the white-pink glow of her miko energy, and she turned slowly to face him.

"I warned you."

And then, she threw the blade. Hiei barely avoided the deadly strike and watched as his sword buried itself into a tree. Up to the hilt.

'Hn. She's stronger than she looks,' he thought, glaring at the sword as the tree began to wither away. And then, with an echoing _crack_, the tree collapsed and Hiei heard the sound of snapping metal underneath the large tree.

"You broke my sword," he said, glaring at the miko.

"Hiei, I believe it is best we leave now," the fox said, looking at the miko with wariness.

"Hn."

His eyes closed and he took a calming breath before he vanished from the group's sight…

Kagome watched as Hiei suddenly disappeared, using the same speed as before. She turned to his companion, who was eyeing her cautiously.

"You should go with your friend," she said, her power beginning to pull back into her body.

"Ah, yes. Well then, it was unfortunate that we had to meet under these circumstances, but hopefully next time won't be so bad. It was a pleasure meeting you, miss priestess," Kurama said before jumping onto a treetop and hopping away.

Kagome sighed in relief as her powers were fully contained in her body once again, and she looked down at Shippo.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked the shaking kit.

"I'm okay, Kagome… He just cut me a little," he said, puffing out his chest. Kagome smiled, petting his head.

She gently ran her hand through his orange hair as Sango and Inuyasha escorted her back to the shrine, though there was no doubt she could kill the demons if they returned.

"Who was in the forest?" Miroku asked, glancing at the group.

"Some kind of apparition and his kitsune friend," Inuyasha grumbled as he walked into the house.

Kagome was about to walk in the house when she saw someone coming up the stairs of the shrine. Immediately, she took over her role as shrine keeper and walked up to the orange-haired man.

"Hello. Can I help you, sir?" she asked, smiling as Shippo began to lightly snore in her arms.

"Huh? Oh! I was supposed to meet someone down the steps and I thought he might have come up here…"

"I see…"

She looked over the man. She felt a strange energy surrounding him, but it wasn't something she had felt before. It wasn't youki _or_ miko energy. It was somewhere in the middle, somehow.

Meanwhile, he was sensing her energy as well, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. Whoever this girl was, she was probably strong enough to kick Urameshi's ass without a problem…

"Hey, Kuwabara!" came a loud, obnoxious voice in the middle of the stairs. "Where the hell'd ya go!?"

Kagome watched as a man with slicked back black hair came over the top of the stairs. The two stared at each other and Kagome broke into a brilliant smile.

"Yusuke!"

She ran up to the man and wrapped her arms around him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kagome? Wow! You've really grown, haven't you?" Yusuke said, standing back to look her over.

Kuwabara watched the two smiling at each other and decided to step in.

"Hey, Urameshi, shouldn't you be worried? What if Keiko saw you?" he asked.

In response, both stared at him blankly until what he was saying came across to Yusuke. And then, he was growling.

"Idiot! She's my cousin, you moron!"

"Oh," Kuwabara said, his entire face reddening. "Sorry…"

"Whatever," he grumbled. "So, you guys still own the shrine?" he asked, looking at the huge building.

"Yep. What are you doing in Tokyo?" she asked suddenly, smiling.

"Well, I was… on-call, with my job."

"Oh… Would you like to come in for dinner? I'm sure momma would be ecstatic… Though, we have a few guests at the moment…"

"Guests? Anyone I know?"

"No, I don't think so," Kagome said with a smile. "They're… actors, making a local movie about the Warring States Era."

She smiled, content with her simple and effective explanation to how everyone looked.

There was a soft murmuring in her arms and Yusuke's eyes moved down.

"Who's he? You have a kid?"

"What!? No!" Kagome exclaimed, her beat-red face making her cousin smirk. "This is my adopted son."

It was basically the truth.

"You adopted a kid? Wow. Look who's all grown up now!" he said, ruffling her hair. She giggled before slapping his hand away.

"Hey, cut it out," she said, still giggling. "So, want to stay for dinner?"

"Sure," he said, looking at Kuwabara. "Think you can take care of this by yourself, numbskull?"

"Yeah, yeah. But you're takin' the heat from Koenma," he said before stalking down the stairs.

"So who was he? Friend?"

"More or less," he said, smirking as the two headed for the house.

When she entered the kitchen, she found her mother talking to Sango. Both of them seemed enthusiastic. When her mother looked up, Kagome was beaming.

"Momma, you'll _never_ guess who I just talked to!"

"Who, dear?" her mother asked, curious at her daughter's enthusiasm. Suddenly, her daughter pulled on a green sleeve and a young man with greased-back black hair entered the room.

"Yusuke! If it isn't my favorite nephew."

"I'm your only nephew, aunty" he pointed out with a smirk.

"Still," she said, wrapping the man in a hug.

Sango leaned towards Kagome, who was clearly happy.

"Who's he?"

"Oh! Sango, this is Yusuke," she said, indicating the blushing man. "My cousin. We used to play a lot when he lived in Tokyo."

Sango smiled and extended her hand, vigorously shaking the man's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said before pulling back.

"I told him everyone here is acting, so he won't think it's odd that everyone looks and acts the way they do," Kagome whispered softly. Her friend nodded and stepped back.

"I'm going to go find Miroku. He's more curious than Shippo," she said before exiting the room.

"Was she one of the actors?" Yusuke asked, watching Sango's hasty escape.

"Yes! She's like a sister, too," Kagome said, smiling. "So… How's Keiko?"

"She's alright," the man said, smiling as he sat down at the wooden table. "We got engaged a while ago," he added, making Kagome almost burst out laughing.

He frowned, his eyes beginning to glow.

"What's so funny!?"

"Nothing, nothing," Kagome said, choking down the next wave of laughter. "It's just… _you_. When did the reckless boy that started fights for fun get so mature?"

Yusuke smirked, looking around the small room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, what's the little guy's name?" he asked, watching as the small orange-haired boy began to wake up.

Shippo looked around the room and met Yusuke's eyes. He was suddenly glad that he'd thought to put up his disguise before going to sleep.

"My name's Shippo," he said, smiling at the man.

"Shippo, huh? Weird name. Where'd you find him, Kags?"

Kagome stiffened at the old nickname but smiled.

"Who's he, Kagome?" Shippo asked, taking in the man's rough appearance.

"Shippo, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Yusuke."

"Hello," the kit said, extending his hand.

"Hi," he said, smiling.

When their hands met, there was a small spark of energy, and Kagome suddenly noticed Yusuke's strange energy, just like that guy Kuwabara's, as well as the unbelievably high levels.

Yusuke, however, suddenly seemed _very_ interested in the kitsune.

"Momma, can you go tell-"

"I get it," her mother sighed. "You two play nice," she said before leaving the cousins alone. As soon as the woman was gone, Shippo stiffened.

"What's a fox doing on a shrine?" Yusuke asked, not even bothering to avoid the sudden topic of interest.

Shippo let go of his disguise and his puffy tail formed, slightly wagging.

"How'd you know?" he asked, looking disappointed.

"Ah, don't sweat it, shorty. You can't really hide youki from me," Yusuke said before looking at Kagome. "So… why is he not scaring you?"

Kagome blinked before beginning to giggle.

"Damnit! Do you know-"

"What? That Shippo's a big, bad youkai? I know," she said, petting said kitsune's hair. "I'm not really worried."

Yusuke's mouth flew open.

"You know what a youkai is!?"

Kagome looked at her cousin blankly as Sesshomaru entered the room. Upon seeing Yusuke, he grabbed Tokijin and ripped the blade from its sheath.

"If it isn't Koenma's dog. What brings you here, detective?" he asked, his sword beginning to glow red. Yusuke stared at the inu taiyoukai and suddenly, he shot up, glaring at him.

"Why the hell are _you_ here!? Shouldn't you be in Makai, lording over those weaklings?"

Sesshomaru smirked and was obviously about to strike when Kagome stood up.

"Anyone want to explain this to _me_? You know, since you're in _my_ house, and all," she added with false sweetness.

Both men looked at her, and Sesshomaru's stance became slightly more relaxed.

"Who is this man to you?" he asked, returning his glare to Yusuke.

"He's my cousin. Why are you pointing a sword at him?"

"I believe that we've come at a most… inopportune time, once again," said a masculine voice near the back door. All three looked at the red-head who walked in, Hiei hesitantly following him.

Kagome looked between the four men and sighed wearily.

"Okay. Why are you two back?"

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction in surprise.

"You don't seem as terrified as you should be, miko."

"Too much confusion to care at the moment," she said, sighing. "Now will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?"

The men looked at each other and then collectively relaxed.

"First thing's first. How do you know _him_?" Yusuke asked, pointing to Sesshomaru. "And, for that matter, how do you know about youkai?"

"Well, it's actually a _really_ long story… And how I know Sesshomaru is part of that story, too… I suggest we all talk as a whole, since my group should probably know about this, too. But first, I'll ask again, why are you two here?" she asked the two demon by the back door.

"It's none of your-"

The small demon was cut off by Kurama's hand clamping over his mouth.

"We were looking for Yusuke, actually. We found the demon we were sent to find," he said, looking at Yusuke.

"Great! So Koenma'll get off my ass now?"

"Well… There seems to be a complication as to what we're to do about the demon."

"What? Just grab the bastard and drag him to Koenma if you have to," the man said, frowning.

"Well, there are a few… extenuating circumstances."

Kagome caught the kitsune eyeing Shippo and immediately, her energy flared to life in warning.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again. Do _not_ touch Shippo," she said, holding the kit closely.

"Please understand, it is our job. We were sent to hunt the recent energy spikes around this area," Kurama said, holding his hands up in a show of peace.

Yusuke looked at the two kitsune and his eyes widened.

"Wait. You think _he's_ the one we're looking for? He's a kit!"

"And I'm sure I've proven on several occasions that a kitsune is strong regardless of the disadvantages like age or weight."

Kurama began to move towards Kagome when Sesshomaru stepped forward.

"This is enough. All of you dogs, cease this instant. I grow tired of your useless banter," he said, grabbing Tokijin's hilt.

"Koenma has given us an assignment, and we will carry it through," Kurama said, glaring defiantly at the inu taiyoukai.

"Will everyone just _shut up_!?"

Everyone jumped before looking at an irritated Kagome.

"Thanks… Let me see if I can get all of this straight. You know those two," she said, moving her hand from Yusuke to the two demons.

Her cousin nodded and her power began to recede slightly.

"And you three are here because you're looking for a strange energy?"

Again, all three nodded, and her energy completely receded.

"And when did this 'energy' appear?"

"Two days ago," Yusuke said, surprised. "Why?"

"Shippo hasn't been here for two days. Looks like this entire thing is actually convenient."

All the present demons looked at her with confusion as she shot a glance to Sesshomaru.

"You know them?"

"I do, unfortunately."

"Are they strong?"

"In your terms, perhaps," he said, shrugging.

"Fantastic. Who's this Koenma person?"

Right on cue, a hole opened in the air and a slender, blue-haired woman floated out on an oar.

"Yusuke! Did you find the demon yet!? Koenma is getting-"

She trailed off when she noticed who else was present in the room.

"Umm… Hello?" she said, tentatively waving.

Kagome waved dumbly as the woman jumped off the oar.

"Did I… interrupt something?"

"Yeah. Fantastic timing. Kagome, meet Botan. If you want to meet Koenma, she'll get you there," Yusuke said, having solved the group's problem in one statement.

He forced the smirk that was forming away. Ever since they were children, she'd always wanted answers to her questions, and going to meet the toddler would fix both of their problems.

Botan eyed Kagome curiously.

"You can see me?"

Kagome nodded and Botan stepped closer.

"You're not a spirit, and you don't have any sort of psychic energy… How can you see me?"

Kagome blinked before looking at Yusuke.

"She's my cousin," he told the grim reaper, whose eyes widened.

"Ah! Okay. So, why do you want to meet Koenma?"

Kagome thought and suddenly, she was smiling.

"Can you hold on _one_ second?"

And then, she was gone. When she returned, she had a large group of people with her. Hiei tensed immediately when he sensed their energies.

"What's all this about, Kagome?" Sango asked, frowning at all the people in Kagome's kitchen.

"I hope to the kamis that I find that out myself," she said before walking into the hole in the room. She didn't know where it led, but she somehow felt it was safe. She suddenly found herself in a white room, staring into the eyes of a teenager, who blinked in confusion.

"Hello," she said, staring at the odd man, whose eyes were wide.

"Who are you?"

"Umm… I'm Kagome," she said as she suddenly felt a massive amount of power behind her. She turned to find everyone that had previously been in her kitchen standing near a new hole.

"Man, you never change, do ya, Kags? Always so curious," Yusuke said, sighing.

"Urameshi, who is she?"

"Oh, hi Koenma… Umm, she's my cousin."

"_You're_ Koenma?" she asked, staring at the teenaged boy.

"Yes," he said exasperatedly. "Why does your cousin know my name, _Yusuke_?"

Yusuke scratched his head, looking around the room.

"Funny story. I just don't know it yet," he added, looking at Kagome. "Since we're here, want to tell me the story? I only have three questions. How do you know about youkai, how do you know these two, and why are you saying a kitsune's your adopted son?" he asked, ticking them off on his finger, pointing at Kurama and Hiei when he asked about them.

Koenma stood up, walking into the mass of people. All of the detectives' eyes were on Kagome while the Inu-gang eyed the detectives.

With a sigh, Kagome gave a shortened and very-edited version of their story. Still, it took roughly two hours to tell the story, and by the end, the detectives were staring at her with their mouths open. Except for the collected Hiei, who only showed his astonishment of her tale by his eyes widening fractionally.

"So, what you're telling me is that you're some kind of time-traveling priestess?"

Koenma was suddenly rolling on the floor laughing.

"That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard!"

His laughter was cut off when Tetsusaiga formed an inch from his head.

"Keep laughing and I'll halve you, ya bastard," Inuyasha grumbled. Koenma was instantly serious again, and he stood.

"I doubt you have the power, hanyo. But tell me something, Kagome. If your story is true, why are all of your friends outside of their time now? You must realize that this is illegal, right?"

Kagome stared blankly at him and he sighed.

"I didn't think so… I believe I will have to send them back, then," he said, walking towards his desk.

"You can't," she said, her face serious.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"The well doesn't work anymore," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh? And how do you know this?"

"It works because of the Shikon no Tama. Which is completely on this side of the well. Which means it doesn't work anymore," she said, shrugging.

"Well then… I guess I'll just have to do something more serious, won't I?" he said, staring at the Inu-gang. They didn't understand anything that was happening, but all of them knew it wasn't good.

"What do you think you're going to do?"

"I could have them exiled to Makai," he said with a shrug.

Instantly, Kagome became a different person.

"You can try. But consider this. I have three shards of the Shikon no Tama. Do you know where the others are?"

Koenma shook his head and Kagome smiled coldly.

"They said you were looking for a massive spike of energy that formed two days ago around my shrine. The demon that you're looking for has the rest. He's a dark hanyo named Naraku. And I don't care how strong any of them are," she said, gesturing to Yusuke's group, "they're not strong enough."

"And I suppose you're saying that _you_ are, aren't you?" Koenma asked, suddenly irritated.

"You said Naraku?"

Everyone looked at Kurama, who was oddly spooked.

"Yes. Why?"

Kurama looked at Koenma, and he was suddenly deadly serious.

"Koenma, she's not kidding. That hanyo's a legend among demons. While I don't doubt that we can beat him without their help, it would be extremely fatal to our forces. The hanyo can create clones of himself, among several other potent abilities that we don't know about."

Koenma stared at the kitsune and then looked at the Inu-gang.

"Damnit! If he's so tough, why's he hiding?"

Inuyasha and Kagome sighed.

"It's what he does best. He's a puppetmaster. He rarely gets his own hands dirty," Kagome said, glaring at the ground.

"I see… Well then, given recent circumstances, I won't cast a sentence. Yet. But your group must fully cooperate with mine, miko, or I'll change my mind. Start hunting," he said as way of dismissal. A hole opened and the group disappeared inside…

AN: First chapter done! I think it turned out well. It's a bit lengthy, but I got in what I wanted to. As always, review with comments or critiques. See you next time!


	3. Hesitation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Hesitation

As they exited into Kagome's kitchen, there was an odd silence.

"Yusuke, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked before leaving the room. She didn't have to look back to know that her cousin was glad to leave the awkward silence.

"Okay, so what do you want to know about Naraku?" she asked, causing him to blink in surprise.

"Why would I-"

"That guy was your boss, right? Then you _have_ to work with us, even though most of my friends probably won't like it…

"I guess… So, do you have any idea where he might be?"

"That Makai place you were talking about. He'll probably hide there and feed off demons until he's strong enough to attack."

"Makai is bigger than this world. That's a lot of searching," he groaned as the two sat down.

"Yeah… Well, we can eliminate a bit of it. All of Sesshomaru's land would be too dangerous for him if he's healing."

"Awesome! His land is half of Makai! Nicely done," he said, smiling.

"Perhaps we may interject," said a voice in the doorway. They looked up to find both Miroku and Kurama standing there.

"Whatcha got, Kurama?"

The red-head sighed and looked at the monk.

"After some discussion, we believe that he will be in a forested or heavily-cratered area so he can set up his traps. There are only three places like that in Makai."

Kagome nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise and she shot up.

"No way," she said, heading for the shrine doors.

When she stepped outside, her fears were confirmed. Naraku's aura was descending. And then, to her surprise, a young man appeared before her.

Everyone else was gathering outside as Kagome stared at the new incarnation.

"Who are you?"

"I have no name. You can simply call me Shuuketsu."

"Why are you on my grounds, _Shuuketsu_?" she bit out. To her irritation, the incarnation smiled warmly, as though he was a friend.

"Master has requested your presence."

At that, Kagome's power began to flow into her hands.

"Get off of my grounds and away from my shrine. And tell him that I'm going to make sure to finish the kill next time," she said so coldly that her allies shuddered.

"Ah, I have no doubt. Unfortunately, I have the power of the Jagan, and I can _make _you come with me," he said, his voice hardening. In the next second, there was a blur of black and the incarnation was looking at the edge of a blade.

"A Jagan, you say? Interesting. But you're not strong enough," Hiei said as he swung the blade. The demon was gone before the sword met his flesh, and he appeared several feet away, smirking.

"Spirit Gun!"

A blast of blue energy burst through the air and hit the demon in the chest and Inuyasha used the opening created by Kagome's cousin.

"Wind Scar!"

The energy ripped forth and suddenly, it formed an archway into the sky. A glowing purple aura was surrounding the demon, and he was smiling arrogantly.

Kagome balled up all of her purifying energy and was about to throw it when the demon appeared in front of Inuyasha. Her hand stopped and he smiled before teleporting in front of her.

"You shouldn't have hesitated, miko," Shuuketsu said with a cruel smile. And then, a tentacle smashed through her side and Kagome fell to the ground, bleeding.

She watched helplessly as he picked her up by the throat. Massive, bat-like wings sprouted from his spinal column, and he smiled darkly at her.

"I'll be borrowing your little miko for a while," he said before they rose into the air. It seemed like forever before they landed.

"Welcome to the place where you lose your powers, miko," the monster said as he threw her onto a hard, stone floor.

There was an echoing laugh in the room and she looked up to find Naraku, fully healed, standing before her. Shuuketsu bowed and vanished as Naraku stepped forward. She looked on in fear to find him beginning to undress.

"What? What are you doing?"

"I'm going to deflower you," he said with a dark smile. "Mikos without their purity aren't mikos anymore, and you'll lose your powers, little Kagome."

She began to back away only to have him laugh.

"There's no place for you to run! Fear not, though. I won't be the only one to get something out of this. I'm going to take away your miko powers, and then I'm going to turn you into a demon! Won't that be a nice little irony? And then, I'll return you to your friends so that they have no trust with you."

Kagome glared and her miko ki began to rise.

"You won't touch me, Naraku," she bit out.

"Oh?"

Kagome let a massive spike of her energy shoot forward, but it was slow and the kurohanyo easily avoided it. She felt his hand against her face before she barreled into the wall, blood rolling from her lips.

"I'm going to enjoy this," he said as he slowly began to undress her…

**Hiei**

Hiei watched as the demon appeared. Much to his surprise, the miko was _talking_ to it. And then, he heard the demon and felt his pride flare up. He was the only one to effectively use the Jagan. He needed to prove it.

He shot forward, his sword drawn against the demon's throat. Suddenly, he was gone, and the next thing Hiei was seeing was the miko being pulled away from the entire group.

As her energy disappeared, the hanyo snarled.

"What the fuck!? Why didn't she fight him?"

Hiei stared at the idiotic hanyo and shook his head.

"Inuyasha, Lady Kagome didn't hit him because you were being used as a shield," Miroku said, staring at the sky.

"Yeah? I say it was entirely too easy!"

"You're thinking that _Kagome_ is a traitor?" Sango asked, her eyes wide.

"No. But it was too easy, and she was talking to the bastard. I think she just let her stupid ass get captured so she can try something, the stupid woman," he growled.

And then, Yusuke just _had_ to step in, of course.

"Hey! Is she really that reckless? That's my cousin you're talking about," he added angrily.

Inuyasha smirked before looking at the sky.

"Yeah, that's definitely something she'd do. Besides, the only other possible reason she didn't give up a fight is because she didn't think anything against it. And _that_ would be bad."

"There is a third option," Kurama stated, meeting Hiei's glare. "It's possible she has been made into a traitor through the psychic powers of the Jagan eye."

Inuyasha's mouth fell open.

"At any rate, we're unfamiliar with this time, so we must begin planning how to find her," Miroku said, stepping back inside…

**Kagome**

She watched as the ground quickly approached nearly a week later. She felt completely helpless as her limp body fell to the ground. She was naked and bleeding all over. Shuuketsu smiled before lifting off.

"Bye bye, Kagome!"

Kagome lay on the cold, hard stone for what seemed like minutes but was actually several hours. She shakily stood up and stumbled towards the house. She sensed everyone in the kitchen, and that's where she headed, tears streaming from her eyes.

As soon as Kagome entered the room, Inuyasha snarled and she couldn't move fast enough to stop the fist. It smashed into her cheek and she flew against the wall. As she made the impact, she felt her bone give and watched blood roll down from her shoulder.

"You filthy whore! You smell of that bastard! What happened? Did you just let him into you, like a bitch!?"

"Inuyasha, Kagome isn't that weak," Sango stated, looking at her best friend with concern.

"Oh yeah? Then why does she smell like blood, arousal, sex and Naraku?" he snarled, glaring at the miko, who rightfully flinched, on the floor.

Kagome's head lifted upward and she held a look that had the hanyo actually _shaking_.

"Inuyasha, I suggest you shut up," she said as she began to rise.

Though she was absolutely miserable, she stood with a slow, predatorial grace she hadn't possessed before.

"Oh? And what're you gonna do, bitch!?"

"Sit," she said with so much anger that he actually met the floor beneath the kitchen's wood.

He stood up, snarling furiously. He raced towards her and everyone, including the stoic Hiei, gasped as his claw raked across her face, which also made her head whip to the side.

Blood flowed from her new, bloody gashes across her cheek, and her head slowly turned.

The air about her changed, and everyone watched as her hair began to move on an unfelt wind. Inuyasha's eyes widened as all of the blood covering her body disappeared and the mark of her broken bone became the color of her normal skin again.

Suddenly, she was smiling coldly, and she gently brushed the gash marks on her face.

"You know something, Inuyasha? You didn't help me. I was gone for an entire week, being tortured, and you didn't help me. So I couldn't give a _shit_ what you think! You think _your_ claws are strong? You haven't seen mine, yet," she said as energy wrapped around her hand.

An inhuman snarl escaped her as she began to walk towards Inuyasha.

Kagome's eyes began glowing a strange, terrifying mix of red, blue, and silver. And they were slitted in raw, unfiltered anger. Before _anyone_ present could react, she vanished, and soon, the hanyo was against a wall. Smoke was rising from where she gripped his throat. In place of her fingernails were silver, glowing claws, and they were beginning to draw blood.

As the blood left the holes in Inuyasha's neck, it was instantly purified and turned to smoke.

"Listen well, Inuyasha," she said in a voice completely different from her own. "If you ever think to touch me again, I will _kill_ you. And I doubt that you'll come back, whether it's Sesshomaru or Kikyo or an angel that tries to revive you. I'm not scared of you, and now I'm stronger than you. I'll do it without hesitation if you try to hit me again. Do you understand me?" she snarled, her energy flaring into a massive red and blue bubble around her.

Inuyasha's eyes were slanted and she could see him biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain. She didn't care. She wasn't weak, and she wasn't going to let _him_ cause her more pain than being tortured had.

"Kagome, you're killing him!"

She didn't even acknowledge Kurama as she tightened her hold on the hanyo's neck.

"What? Nothing to say, Inuyasha?" she asked, suddenly realizing that relishing his suffering was too much like Naraku. That didn't make her release her hold, but she lessened the energy she was pouring into the hanyo who she'd once loved.

"Fuck you, you bitch!"

And then, he drew Tetsusaiga and Kagome dove backward, away from his slash.

"You fucking whore! You let him make you into a demon!?" he spat out, preparing to strike.

"Let him? I _let him_? Inuyasha, I was tortured for seven days. Seven _goddamn days_! You weren't there to help me, so shut. the. _fuck_. up!"

Every one of her friends, as well as Yusuke, gaped at her change in behavior.

"I'm not going to shut up! You whored yourself out to Naraku! What? Did he promise you eternal life or some shit like that?" he asked, sneering. When she began to run at him again, he swung the sword down.

Much to everyone's surprise, she caught it with ease. And the gash in her hand healed almost as quickly as it had formed. Massive electric sparks were forming where she held the demonic sword, and she slowly walked towards him, her grip holding his sword above her. And then, she grabbed his throat once more, and unfiltered power surrounded them.

Suddenly, she relaxed her hold on the blade and he dropped the sword to the ground.

"You're not worth the energy," she spat. "I'm going to use these claws that Naraku forced onto me to rip his throat out next time. See you later," she said before throwing the hanyo, with one hand, through the air. As soon as he hit the wall opposite where she'd been thrown, she let her power flare.

"Sit!"

He smashed into the ground with a painful _crack_ sound and Kagome watched as blood filled the crater in the wood beneath him.

With that, she shakily walked up the stairs and slammed her door closed as she got dressed.

**Hiei**

Hiei watched as the miko entered the room. He could smell the difference in her fragrance. She wasn't human anymore. But she wasn't a demon, a hanyo, or a miko either. He had no idea _what_ she was.

And then, the hanyo hit her. He'd been expecting a cry of pain or a shout from the feeble woman. But she simply took the damage and then, she was talking. She was different from before her capture. That much was painfully obvious.

And then, she used a spell and the hanyo hit the ground. In a blind charge, filled with anger, the inu hanyo rendered her face. To say that Hiei was surprised would be an understatement.

He didn't trust anyone. Because of that, he was able to observe everyone and sense their true selves. But he'd thought their group was rather close, and to see the hanyo strike her like that was a shock. And then, the room changed, and Hiei sensed the massive levels of youki forming.

The energy began to roll off of the miko in waves as she recovered from the strike. And then, the hanyo was the one suffering. He watched with awe as she sprouted claws and attacked the inu hanyo.

He watched as she slowly began to purify the man who he thought she'd been affectionate towards.

And then, she insulted him, and he was swinging his sword at her. Hiei was surprised when the miko… human… demon… whatever she was, caught the blade with her bare hand. Not even he would do something like that.

And then, she attacked. There was so much power in her attack that the Jagan was woken up, and Hiei felt its odd mix of emotions. It practically seemed _joyful_ at the energy coming from the woman. He had to hold back the smirk that was threatening to form as she threw the hanyo and he fell unconscious after his head broke the wooden pillar behind him.

Before anyone could bother him, he vanished, watching the girl from the tree outside of her window…

**Kagome**

Kagome fell onto her bed, sobbing. Her head whipped up when she heard a low, hesitant knock on her door.

"Kagome-nee-chan?"

"Come in, Sango," she said, trying to hide her misery.

The taijiya walked inside and closed the door, Shippo at her heels. They sat down next to her on her bed and Sango gently began brushing her friend's hair.

"Did I kill him?" Kagome asked, her body shaking.

"No, you didn't kill him… Just knocked him unconscious."

"That's… good…" she choked out, her head buried in the fluffy pillow.

"You don't think so?"

Kagome shrugged before raising her tear-streaked face.

"I don't know. He might try to attack me again," she whispered, her face a mask of misery.

Sango wrapped her arms around her and let the younger girl sob.

"I won't let him, Kagome."

"I don't want anyone near me," she sobbed harder. "I might hurt them."

"Inuyasha attacked you first. And he wasn't pulling punches, either," she said, trying to comfort Kagome.

"It doesn't matter. What that hanyo did to me… I'm some kind of a science experiment," she said, crying even harder, though Sango hadn't been aware that was possible.

"What are you talking about, Kagome?"

Kagome looked at her and her eyes were almost lifeless as she recounted what had happened to her.

**FLASHBACK**

Kagome shook as Naraku pulled the fabric off of her chest, making her upper body bare. Next, he grabbed the hem of her skirt and tore it off before slowly sliding her panties down.

"I think I'll keep these clothes as a trophy," he said before adding the thin fabric to the rest of her destroyed clothes. Tears were running down her face, and he smiled evilly.

"Oh, come now, Kagome. You should feel honored! I've decided to do this to you and not your incarnate."

Kagome attempted to crawl away, but she suddenly felt a hand in her hair and her head was pulled upward, making her cry in pain.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried out, although she already knew the answer.

"It's simple. I want to make you suffer. I want to destroy you. I want to take everything that is pure and good in this world and completely crush them."

She bit back a scream as he tore into her. She felt sick as he filled her with his member, which grew harder when she finally _did_ scream. When he was finally done, he threw her to the floor and laughed hysterically as he felt her powers disappear.

Three more days of the same thing, from dawn to dusk, Naraku continued his torture. And then, on the fifth day of her capture, the hanyo broke her utterly.

As she heard his feet on the stone dungeon floor, Kagome tensed and looked up to find Naraku, holding a large, jagged knife covered in various colors of blood.

He seemed to drink in her fear like a delicious wine, and Kagome shrank back.

"Please… just kill me…"

"Oh, I don't think so, Kagome," he said, sneering. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. But that's not really important. Let's make you a demon," he said, bending down. Before she could move, a claw cut a large gash in her stomach. And then, he slid the knife into the hole and chanted something. As he pulled the knife out, the wound instantly healed and Kagome's eyes began to glow a dark blood-red.

"What… What did you just do?" she asked as agony racked her entire body.

"I made you into a demon. Well, technically, I made you several demons. I killed a snake demon, a fire apparition, an inu youkai, and a worm demon with the knife. And I just put their powers inside of you."

Kagome glared at him as he stepped back.

"Three out of those four are extremely powerful. I'm not going to be afraid to use what you gave me to kill you."

He simply smirked as he knelt down.

"What I gave you is a lot of weaknesses. Snakes have no patience and are generally easy to kill with the right knowledge. Fire apparitions are generally reckless and let their emotions get the better of them. And inu youkais… well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you what weaknesses they have. Worm demons have low endurance, low stamina, and feeble bodies. I'll leave you to… adjust… now, Kagome."

And with that, he left her. It wasn't until the next afternoon that he returned, and he was very surprised.

Kagome stood up when he entered and energy danced around her body. _Miko_ energy.

"How is this possible!?"

Kagome began to run at him when she was suddenly lifted off the ground. As she was slammed into the ground, he smirked.

"Miko energy or not, you're still an abomination. And you're weak. Your 'friends' will never accept you now."

Kagome's tears began to fall as she swung her foot out. He easily caught it mid-motion and threw her. As she hit the dungeon wall, she lost consciousness. When she woke up, Shuuketsu was flying with her in his grip.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snarled.

"Oh, I'm just doing as ordered. Oh, and Naraku instructed me to tell you something. You smell like him now. You would do well to remember that mercy won't save you. Your hanyo friend will most likely attack you, calling you a whore and a traitor. It might be wise to defend yourself, since master doubts you'll live if you don't. Bye bye, Kagome," he said as he released her.

**END FLASHBACK**

Sango's eyes were overflowing with tears as her friend finished the story.

"I am so sorry, Kagome," she said, hugging her friend tightly.

"It's not your fault, Sango," she said, smiling sadly at her 'sister.'

Shippo hugged his mother and she absently pet his orange hair.

Unknown to them, others, outside of the room had heard her. Kurama and Yusuke both glared at Inuyasha, who just thought she was lying. Hiei was both filled with rage and pity. And, surprisingly, he felt that he wanted to make her feel better, as he felt a slight kinship for the somewhat-hiyoukai female.

Several hours later, Kagome walked down the stairs, her armor on and her bow and arrows on her back.

As she reached the doors, she found Kurama, Hiei and Yusuke waiting. She nodded in acknowledgment before heading for the woods. She immediately sensed Inuyasha's anger and she smirked.

"Take your best shot," she said, not even turning around to face him.

"Like I can hit you. You'd just use those arrows, like the cheap bitch you are."

The next second, her bow and arrows were on the ground and she spun around.

"No bow, and no arrows. Just me and you. But I doubt you'll try to hit me again."

"Oh? And why's that, bitch?" he snarled, beginning to pull the Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

"Because we won't let you," Yusuke said, making the hanyo snarl.

"Back off, human."

"And neither will we, Inuyasha," Sango's voice said, making him look to the side. Both the slayer and monk stood, their weapons prepared. Shippo was at the feet, along with Kirara.

"You all want to side with this traitor?" he barked, his glare on Kagome, who was pulling her armor off.

"Thank you, everyone, but if Inuyasha really wants it so badly, I'd rather he just get it out of his system."

"You make it sound like you're giving me a privilege, bitch."

Kagome's energy flared and she looked at all of her real friends.

"Seriously, I'd really prefer if everyone just made the forest and shrine safe from all the energy he's going to release."

"Are you positive, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked, his charms prepared.

"She's not a 'lady' ya damn monk!"

Kagome's eyes twitched, and she looked at Yusuke.

"She's serious," he said before backing up. Really fast. The rest of the groups went with him, and soon, there was a massive barrier around the shrine grounds, keeping any stray attacks from hurting the surrounding area.

"You know there's no going back, right?" she asked as the last plate of her armor hit the ground. She quickly threw them out of the barrier, making sure they'd be safe.

Inuyasha sneered and pulled the sword from its sheath.

"I'm sure that I'll be able to live with myself."

Without warning, he swung the blade and energy blasted forward.

Kagome dove to the side and watched as the wind scar followed the arc of the barrier before disappearing.

"No holding back, then? I hope you enjoy Hell, Inuyasha. I sincerely do. But you should know that Kikyo is in Heaven, and as much as I feel bad for her, I'll be glad that you don't get to see her again if you really have no problem attacking someone that's supposed to be your friend."

Inuyasha glared at her, his hate flowing freely.

"Kikyo ain't dead, you lying bitch!"

Kagome looked at the ground, tears falling from her eyes.

"Yes. She is."

"Liar!"

Diamond spikes grew along Tetsusaiga's length and he snarled.

"Adamant Barrage!"

As he swung, she let the tears flow.

As the spikes were about to reach her, her hand shot out. As one, they disintegrated and the ashes fell to the ground.

"I really am sorry, Inuyasha… She died trying to protect me…"

"Lying bitch!"

He charged at her, rapidly swinging the large sword several times in quick succession. She dodged with ease, and then she had her claw around his throat.

"We don't have to do this, Inuyasha. Please don't make us."

He sneered and his fist smashed her face, knocking her through the air and into the electrifying power of the surrounding barrier.

"You're a traitorous bitch! You'd rather let Naraku have you then be on our side. I mean, really! I can understand if you were just a slut, but to actually sleep with the enemy? You must be pretty pathetic to have no problem with-"

She snarled, and he found his head being shoved deep into the ground by her claw. Smoke began to rise, and he watched in shock as her own tears evaporated from the intense flames that began to rise from her body.

"I was _raped_! I was forced into everything he did to me! And I couldn't stop him. And do you want to know _why_ Kikyo needed to save me? Because _you_ didn't. I don't care if you knew where I was or not. I didn't know if help was coming, so I resigned myself to my fate. I even begged from him to kill me. So don't you fucking _dare_ to call me a traitor when I was supposed to get help that never came!"

Smoke was filling the air around them, and Inuyasha snarled at the feel of his skin melting.

"You're nothing but a weak bitch," he said as he swung his leg up. It connected with her side and she flew up into the barrier.

She fell to the ground, her clothes little more than a smoking heap of fabric now. She lashed out. As her claw raked across his face, blood poured to the ground. She blocked his retaliation swing of Tetsusaiga and slid backward.

"I'm not a bitch, I'm not a traitor, and I'm _not_ a whore!" she screamed as flames wrapped around her body.

Inuyasha snarled and she felt energy beginning to wrap around him. His sword began to blacken, and she tensed.

"You're lying! You're a lying whore, and I should've killed you when you let that baby take control of you! Meidou Zangetsuha!"

A massive vortex began to form next to her and Kagome sobbed from blood-red eyes.

"I'm sorry."

He watched in shock as the hole vanished. Then he looked down to find her standing an inch away, and her arm was jutting through his spine. Blood rolled from his mouth as he fell to his knees, her hand coated in his blood.

"I promised Kikyo I'd stop you if you went that far," she said, falling to her knees as her frame was shaken with her sobs.

The hanyo's amber eyes dimmed and his body turned cold.

AN: Well, there's chapter two! I think it turned out really well, even though I won't be surprised to find bad reviews because I killed Inuyasha and Kikyo. But this all goes to my greater story plot, and I wanted to incorporate the idea at least once of Kagome _actually_ killing Inuyasha. That said, make sure to leave reviews!


	4. Desperation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Desperation

Inuyasha's body grew cold as Kagome cupped her face in her palms and sobbed. She felt the slick wetness of the blood against her face, and she hunched over, letting the contents of her stomach out.

She felt the barrier drop, and then there was a low chuckling. Her head shot up to see Shuuketsu in the air, laughing at her. Without even a second of hesitation, she focused all of her power into her hand and a massive black flame erupted. And then, it was gone, and the incarnation was running away from a massive dragon of dark energy.

Having spent all of her energy and human emotion killing the man she'd once loved, she fell to the ground, unconscious…

**Hiei**

Hiei watched in utter shock as the hanyo released massive amounts of power. He was even more amazed as the demonic miko dodged every attack thrown at her.

The foolish hanyo continued throwing attacks at her, and all the while, she tried to talk him out of the fight. And then, he charged her and she had her claw around his throat.

The hanyo actually threw the woman into the barrier around them, shocking her. She'd obviously given up her notion of a peaceful solution. He watched as her claws sharpened and she used speed rivaling his, if not surpassing it. And then, the hanyo's head was buried into the ground.

And _that's_ when he became absolutely petrified with shock.

Much to his surprise, the Dragon's flames began to wrap around the miko's body. _His_ dragon. He watched as she began to melt the flesh off of the hanyo, and suddenly he kicked her away. Their fight escalated, and suddenly he sensed a void forming next to the miko.

He didn't understand what he was looking at until the hanyo yelled, and then she finished him. Everyone present watched in utter disbelief and shock as the seemingly tame and innocent miko killed her 'friend' in defense.

Then, the abomination appeared in the sky, and he had the audacity to _laugh_ at her. Even Hiei had enough compassion to pity the priestess. But, he realized, there was more to it, though he didn't know what it was.

And then, she did the most amazing thing yet. She actually _summoned_ the Dragon. And it didn't do any damage to her as the demon above retreated. And then, she fell unconscious…

**Kagome**

Kagome woke up wrapped in warmth. As soon as she woke up, though, her memories returned and she shot upward.

She met a very surprised Sango's glance and then her 'sister' became comforting.

Kagome pushed her head into the elder girl's shoulder as she let her tears flow.

"Sango… Please tell me that I just woke from a really bad nightmare," she practically begged, looking at the older woman with hope. It was quickly shattered.

"Kagome… I should tell you something…"

"What?" she asked, suddenly afraid as several horrible scenarios flashed through her mind.

"Umm… well… That little fire demon, Hiei… he carried you up here. And when your cousin, Miroku, or that red-headed kitsune tried to follow, a massive black dragon formed around you…"

"It's called the Dragon of the Darkness Flame," said a masculine voice, making them both jump. Kagome looked around to find a small shadow standing by her door.

"What?"

"The dragon. The one you used to attack that fool in the sky. It's called the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. And you shouldn't be able to summon it."

Kagome looked at the fire demon with confusion.

"The Dragon is extremely powerful. And dangerous. Its flames come from the deepest, darkest corners of Hell. And you have to have the Jagan eye to control it. So, again, you shouldn't be able to use it."

"So how am I?" she asked, standing up.

"That's the question I want to know the answer to."

"I don't suppose you can leave me alone for a while?" she asked sheepishly.

"No. You're too dangerous. And while I don't particularly care if you hurt someone, that toddler would probably blame me for it."

"A simple 'no' would have been enough," she said, glaring at the cocky demon.

There was a comforting touch on her shoulder and she reached up, petting Shippo's head absentmindedly.

"So… I really killed Inuyasha?" she asked, looking at Sango. Her friend looked at the floor, her eyes masked by dark bangs.

"He attacked you first, Kagome," she said, her tone trying for comforting.

Kagome ran her hand through the thick tangle of her hair only to feel the odd wetness. She pulled her hand in front of her face and her eyes widened at the slick coating of blood over her hands.

"I'm going to go take a bath," she said numbly as she walked past Hiei and down the hall to the bathroom. As she closed the door, she felt her cousin outside. She turned on the water, knowing he'd wait.

Ten minutes later, she was sliding into the warm, silky water and sighing at the comfort.

"So, you want to talk?" Yusuke's voice asked from outside the door.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she mumbled, watching as tears mixed with the red that was tinting the bath water.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Kagome. You were defending yourself."

"But I could've stopped if I really wanted to," she sobbed. "I could've done _something_ to stop it."

"No you couldn't," said another voice, surprising her. "The fool was intent on killing you for a traitor. You would've died a fool's death if you hadn't killed him," Hiei said, making her shudder at the harshness of his tone.

"As much as how he said it sucks, Hiei's right, Kagome. If you hadn't done what you did, someone else was going to. He would've killed you."

Kagome's head rested against the back of the tub as blood-red tears fell down her face.

"Yusuke, you always used to get in fights, right?" she asked. She could hear her cousin's muscles tensing and she smiled slightly.

"I guess you can say that… Why?"

"You remember what I told you all about why everyone's in this time?"

"Yeah. The guy that got you, right?"

"Yeah. Naraku. I want revenge," she said, her voice low. She could practically see both men outside the bathroom door tensing.

"Yeah, I get that you'd want to get back at him, but that's why everyone's together."

"No. I mean I _really_ want revenge. I don't know what's wrong with me. When I stabbed Inuyasha, I knew I was stabbing him… But I also imagined it was Naraku I was killing…"

"Revenge is a good motivation," Hiei said outside.

"But revenge isn't necessarily a satisfying end," Yusuke added.

"You know something interesting?" she asked, standing up and watching all of the pink water drain. "I don't care if I die. I mean, I don't _want_ to die, but the thought of dying doesn't scare me… It did when everyone came through the well. But now I just… don't care."

"Understandable. Fear for your life is a useless emotion," Hiei said, making her feel slightly better, somehow.

"Anyways, listen, Kagome. Regardless of how much you want to kill this demon, remember that you have friends that are here to kill him also."

"I know… But now, I've got two less, and I seriously doubt that Miroku, Sango, or even Shippo can trust me. _I_ wouldn't trust me."

"Nobody but your mother in this house is 'normal.' From the story you told us, everybody here suffered some kind of tragedy," Yusuke said, his tone thoughtful.

"That's not making me feel better, Yusuke," she huffed.

"It wasn't meant to," he replied seriously. "I'm just saying that, based on your story, none of the people in this house are innocent of killing things."

"But I killed _Inuyasha_! And Kikyo died because of me! And it's all because of that bastard Naraku," she bit out.

"Hn… Perhaps you should think of this another way," Hiei's voice said, making her shiver again.

"What way would _possibly_ give this a shred of optimism?" she bit out as she began drying off.

"The fool has sealed his own fate," Hiei said simply.

_Now _Kagome was interested in where the small youkai's thoughts were.

"How do you mean?"

"He's made you into a collection of demons. While he meant to bring out the weaknesses, every one of those demons inside of you has unstoppable power if trained. Essentially, he's made you into a 'cure' to him. He's made you into something so powerful you actually summoned a dragon, without hurting yourself. I have no doubt that, when you meet next, you'll finish what you've obviously failed in the past."

Kagome nodded, though she was fairly sure the psychic wasn't watching her through the door or something.

"I see your point… Thanks, Hiei…"

"Hn."

She felt his youki disappear and she gasped.

"What-"

"Don't worry, Kags. He just doesn't talk that long in single sittings. I'm sure he's gone off to brood somewhere."

Kagome giggled as she pulled her clothes on hastily.

"He's not a social person, huh?"

"Yeah, that's an understatement… Well, I'm gonna go. But just think about what I said, alright?"

"Yeah… Oh, and one other thing… I think that Naraku's hideout is a broken down castle of some kind."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just the way everything looked. It was like all of the other castles he used to hide in, only more broken down and dungeon-like."

"Okay. Thanks, Kags. I'll go see what I can find out."

She heard his retreating steps and quickly exited…

Kagome walked down into the kitchen later, her armor fully adorned, to find everyone talking around the table.

"I'm going for a walk to clear my head. Be back later," she said as she walked past them. As she neared the forest, she felt the calmness of the day soothe her.

She heard scampering coming towards her and smiled as Shippo landed in her arms.

"Momma," he sighed, taking a tight hold on her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Shippo," she sighed, burying her head in his hair. "I don't know. Do you hate me?"

"Hate you? I can't hate you, momma," he said, burying himself in her warmth, still palpable underneath the armor.

She walked into the woods and felt the stillness relax her further. She began to think, and when she reached a particularly startling decision, Shippo noticed immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing… I was just thinking about something."

"What?"

She bit her lip, debating whether or not to divulge her sudden plan to Shippo, who she loved as a son while at the same time knowing of his gossiping nature.

"It's nothing important, Shippo," she said, smiling brightly as she petted his head. He let it go and they continued further into the woods. When they reached a small clearing, she sat down with her back to the tree. She put Shippo down and ruffled his hair.

"Shippo, can you keep watch for me so I can meditate?"

The young kit nodded eagerly and she closed her eyes, her breathing slowing.

She slipped into absolute blackness, and let her body go…

**Hiei**

While discussing where Naraku might be, Hiei's eyes widened and he vanished. Shortly after, there was an explosion deep in the woods outside the shrine and both Yusuke and Sango were running at incredible speeds out the door. When they reached the woods, they found the little kitsune shaking Kagome.

"What's wrong!? Why the hell isn't she moving!?" Yusuke snarled.

"I don't know… She started meditating, and then there was some kind of explosion… She won't wake up," Shippo said, trying to shake her awake once again.

As if summoned, Hiei appeared next to them and his third eye was open wide.

"Hiei? What the hell?"

"The foolish woman separated the tie from her body and soul," he bit out. "And even the Jagan's having a hard time finding her."

"You sensed this happening?" Sango asked suspiciously, eyeing the small psychic demon.

"I watched it happen. I can't very well let anyone in control of the Dragon wander around without being monitored."

"If you watched it happen, where the hell's her spirit? I mean, her body's still alive, so she isn't in too much danger," Yusuke said, gently trying to shake Kagome awake.

"Her spirit's hiding," Hiei said with frustration evident in his voice. "I don't know if it's guilt or some other foolish emotion, but her spirit doesn't want to return to her body, so it's hiding."

Sango knelt down next to Kagome's body and gently petted Shippo's hair to soothe him.

Just then, Kurama appeared, and he looked at Kagome as though he already knew what had happened.

"Her spirit has the same energy as her body. Perhaps you should use the spirit radar, Yusuke."

"That's a good idea!"

Yusuke pulled out the small device and when he put one of Kagome's hairs in, it showed two dots. With one being right where they were, Hiei grabbed the device and took off for the other one.

The small demon stopped before a glowing woman, and she frowned.

"Where am I?"

Hiei's eyes widened.

"Why are you looking at me like that? And why do I feel so light?"

Hiei's Jagan flashed open and he spun.

"Shit. Come with me, onna."

Kagome's ethereal hand gripped his hand and the two were gone. They stopped at the clearing and found a massive fire.

"Hiei! Did you find her!?" Yusuke yelled while knocking several falling, burning tree limbs from his cousin's body.

Hiei felt Kagome's spirit tense at seeing her body.

"Am I dead?" Kagome squeaked.

"No," he bit out. "Stay close or you will be."

Kagome gasped as Hiei put his hand out. Suddenly, all of the flames around them extinguished and before anyone could do anything, the small fire apparition was drawing his sword.

"Hiei, what the hell's going on!? The second you were gone, the whole damn forest caught on fire."

Hiei's eyes scanned the forest for any signs of movement outside of the clearing. He hadn't noticed it until now, because he'd been so focused on finding the damned miko's soul.

There was no other sound. Absolutely none.

"What the hell's going on, Hiei?"

"Someone separated her soul and body. Forcefully," Hiei said as he sensed power. "Yusuke, I suggest you stand back."

Yusuke's eyes widened as flames began to build around Hiei's body.

"I don't sense anything."

"You wouldn't," Hiei snarled before lunging. The tree he hit almost exploded from the heat and the small demon's sword almost reached the second tree, which was almost a shadow of it. This one moved.

Shuuketsu dropped his illusion as he dove backward.

"Oh ho! Impressive!"

Hiei swung the blade and just barely missed his throat.

"You dare use the Jagan, you lowly creature?"

Shuuketsu smirked as a large scythe began to form in his hand.

"Lowly? Tell me, if I'm lowly, what's the woman you're currently protecting? She let her body be used by a hanyo, and for a time, she wanted to with the other. What's that make her?"

Kagome's spirit growled and Shuuketsu grew an amused expression.

"You're going to have to possess someone's body, Kagome. Or you can always just let your spirit move on to the afterlife."

"Yusuke, take her body and everyone get out of here," Hiei commanded as he began to move the flames from his body to his blade.

"Hey! I'm still here! Can't you just put me back in my body!?"

Hiei shook his head, glaring at the incarnation.

"It would seem he's poisoned you. Should I return you to your body now, you will most likely die."

"I don't care! Just put me back in my body! I can purify whatever he put in me if I'm in my body!"

Shuuketsu smirked as he took in their conversation.

"You still trust them, Kagome? Master was right. You _are_ an optimistic fool! And to think such a whore was hiding behind such an innocent face!"

Hiei snarled as his power flared.

"I mean, really! How desperate are you? To cling to the strongest male after your protector died? That's just so sad… And he's not even a sane demon!"

Hiei's grip on his sword tightened when suddenly, he felt her power filling the entire clearing, despite her not having a body.

"Hiei," she ground out, "put me back in my body."

Hiei felt her rage and hatred and saw Shuuketsu beginning to shake as he felt it too. With that, his Jagan began to build power.

"Go inside of your body when I tell you, onna. Not before or after, understood?"

"Yes," she said, glaring at Shuuketsu.

"He's going to kill you, fool! Why would a _demon_ help _you_!? You're a miko!"

"Don't think myself on the same level as you, fool," Hiei bit out. "I'm not a weakling who'd be afraid, like you."

"On top of that, you seem to bring misfortune to everyone who encounters you!" Shuuketsu added, completely ignoring Hiei.

"As soon as I'm back in my body, I'm going to destroy you," Kagome bit out.

"You don't think so? Kikyo was revived and then killed again. Without you, her soul wouldn't have been revived and she would have been a simple mindless, soulless body. Inuyasha was also released to only suffer greatly and be killed again. By you, for that matter. Sango's village was destroyed because master gained enough jewel shards to do so. Kohaku was revived into his misery because of the jewel shards, which is something that _you_ caused. Without you, even the monk would have been better off, since he wouldn't have damaged his body with the hell insects at all!"

Kagome's fury spiked and, despite having no body, she lunged. Hiei's hand caught her ethereal wrist and he threw her at the same time his Jagan flared. She met her body and flew backward into the tree from the momentum.

Despite the sudden agony, she launched upward and black flames rose from her body.

Shuuketsu backpedaled as all of her power began to release.

"Am I really your enemy? After all, I've not laid a finger on you, Kagome."

An evil smirk appeared on her face as she vanished. She reappeared with a sword buried into his chest with the grip in her hand.

"No. You were created by him. But that doesn't mean you'll live."

She pulled the blade from his body and tossed it to a stunned Hiei, who caught it without his gaze leaving her.

"I can heal from this," Shuuketsu said with a cocky smirk. His body began to vanish, but then the black flames shot into the wound.

"I doubt it. You shouldn't have been so laid back about destroying me."

Shuuketsu's face paled as his teleportation completed and his energy was completely gone.

As soon as it did, the flames vanished and the pain struck Kagome to her knees, panting as blood began to drip from her face.

"Kagome!"

She fell to the ground, clutching at her throat. Smoke and blood began to rise from her skin as her body shook.

"Hiei, what the hell'd you do to her!?" Yusuke growled, grabbing the neck of the demon's cloak.

"Shut up, idiot," he said with a sigh. His body vanished and appeared kneeling down next to the choking miko.

"It hurts," she said through body-wracking coughs that left the ground red.

And then, Hiei did something that shocked the entire group. He gently placed his hand on her back and shushed(1) her.

"Relax and it'll go away quicker."

Once again, something happened to shock everyone. She grabbed his hand, as though just that contact would comfort her.

"I suggest you all leave," Hiei said, his eyes not leaving Kagome's shaking body.

"Hiei, what the hell!? You think I'm just going to leave her with you? She obviously needs medical help."

"No. She needs to suffer through this. Or she'll suffer later."

"What're you talking about!? That demon poisoned her! Hiei, she must be healed," Kurama said, watching the two with concern.

Kagome's shaking began to worsen and she gripped the neck of her skintight armor.

Without caring that others were around, he quickly took her armor off. Unlike everyone else, he was unsurprised to find black flames enveloping her.

Her appearance began to change the second the armor was off. The doglike appearance to her face lessened, becoming more sharp and hardening, while still retaining its elegance.

Her aura, however, changed entirely. Now, it consisted of only three types of energy instead of five. The worm and inu youki energies completely vanished.

And then, her skin began to glow with an unearthly light as the black flames enveloped her.

"Hiei, what the f-"

"Leave. Now," Hiei said as the flames began to grow. The absolute command in his tone left no room for discussion or debate, so everybody quickly vanished. Except for the woman and the kit.

"Leave."

"No way am I leaving her with some strange demon we've only just met, who can very obviously harm her," the woman, Sango, argued.

"Hn."

Kagome's body shuddered and suddenly, the flames began to explore the forest floor. The Jagan reacted, drawing the black flames into his body.

Kagome's hair began to blow in an unseen breeze around her. Energy flared up around her, and the entire area became as black as night.

"Kagome!"

The kit and slayer began to move toward her when the Jagan once again exerted its power. Their bodies froze completely where they were and Sango growled.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Hiei gently moved the hair from Kagome's delicate face and felt their power connecting at the touch.

Kagome began to cough again, but no blood spilled this time.

"Wh… What's happening?" she choked out, her body slowly beginning to relax.

"It's not important. It'll be over soon, so just suffer a little more," Hiei said as she slowly became a female fire apparition. Her eyes flew open and what had once been red were now dark silver. Her hair flared with color, becoming a dark blood-red.

And then, with one final explosion of power, dark black slits formed in the center of her eyes as they became more slanted. Her shaking stopped and she gasped for clean air.

**Kagome**

"What just happened?"

"Your powers fought for superiority. Fire and snake beat worm and dog, it seems."

"What? Why do I feel embarrassed all of a sudden?"

She looked down to find herself in nothing but her underwear. With a gasp, she curled into a ball to cover herself.

"Where's my armor!?"

"It was making the flames choke you to death, so I took it off," Hiei said, handing it to her before vanishing.

"Sango… what just happened?" she asked her friend, who was suddenly at her side.

"I don't know… I think he just saved your life…"

AN:

(1)- For those of you that don't know what that means, it's when you make the sound 'shhhh'

Well, there's the third chapter! Sorry it's been a while, but I had some various things popping up recently. That being said, hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review!


	5. Chaos

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Chaos

Kagome stood up from the forest floor and found Shippo hanging back.

"Momma?" he asked when their eyes met.

"Yes, it's me… I think… Sango, can you take him back to the house? I don't want to hurt anyone."

Sango's eyes widened at the double meaning in her words.

"Hold on, Kagome. What're you going to do?"

"I can't be around anyone. I'm entirely too dangerous. I need to go somewhere that I won't be able to hurt the people I care about… Sango, can you give a few messages for me?"

"Kagome, do it yourself," Sango said, taking in Kagome's posture. It was that of someone completely and utterly defeated.

"Can you tell my mother and little brother that I'll be back soon? Oh! And tell the others that I'm not just running away."

Shippo launched through the air, being caught by Kagome's automatic reach.

"Kagome, please don't go!"

She gently cradled his head, sad tears falling.

"I'm sorry, Shippo. I think that even you will be in danger if I don't," she said, gently resting her cheek on his forehead.

"I don't care! Please don't leave me!"

Kagome's eyes locked with Sango's and she sighed.

"Will you tell the others, Sango? Please?"

Sango nodded, tears falling from her eyes.

"I should be back in a week."

"Where are you going?"

"To that Makai place. I'm going to take out any dangerous aggression I may have, and I can do that a lot easier with demons that are trying to kill me."

Sango's eyes widened and Kagome frowned.

"What? It's not like I'm going to go off and kill myself or anything. I just need to get rid of whatever is inside of me. And Shippo," she said to the kit, who looked up. "I would feel much better if you stayed here and didn't see me like I'll probably get."

The kit's eyes widened and his grip tightened.

"I'll never be scared of you, momma!"

Kagome felt a demonic presence above and looked toward the man.

"Perhaps you should let young Shippo accompany you," Kurama said before dropping down.

"When did you get here!?"

"Oh, I never left. Not that I don't trust Hiei, since he has quite a bit of honor despite his personality. But I was rather interested to see the Dragon on someone other than Hiei."

"Okay… So you were eavesdropping on us?" Kagome asked, glaring.

"Well, your conversation is rather interesting. Especially where you think you're going to get to Makai so easily."

"I'll find a way," Kagome bit out. "If I don't, someone else important to me might die."

"You intend to go to Makai to kill demons. This will get rid of any pent-up anger or schizophrenic energy. Only one problem. No matter how strong you are, you won't survive long if you go in without someone else. Which is why I'm suggesting you take Shippo," he said, smiling.

Kagome looked down at Shippo's hopeful smile and found herself holding him a little tighter.

"Alright… Will one of you give out the messages?"

Sango nodded as Kagome started moving. She soon found herself at the edge of the forest.

"How are you going to get to another dimension, exactly?"

"I'm going to wait," she said, staring at the space directly in front of her.

"Wait?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I just get the feeling that something will happen right here."

As if on command, the air rippled and a massive hole formed.

A large ogre started to run through, but was quickly cut in half by an arrow. And then, Kagome jumped through and felt it snap closed as soon as she passed through. She didn't, however, sense the demon that came in with her, using lightning-fast speed to escape her notice…

Kurama watched in shock as Kagome disappeared into the portal.

"How on earth did she know that was going to happen?" he mumbled to himself.

"Yo, Kurama! The toddler said a portal's opening," Yusuke said, appearing a few seconds later.

"It's already closed," Kurama said, glaring at the air.

"Really? Who closed it?"

"Kagome. And Hiei, it seems," Kurama said, his glare increasing.

"What!? They closed the portal? How!?"

"By going through it," Kurama said simply.

Yusuke took several moments to process this, and he growled.

"So, what you're telling me, is that my cousin and _Hiei_ went through a portal to Makai? Kurama, what the hell!?"

The kitsune shrugged, turning around.

"It wasn't exactly like I could stop her. I'm not even sure she's aware that Hiei is with her."

"Damnit!"

Yusuke pulled out the small compact-mirror-like device and a chipper voice responded.

"Botan here!"

"Botan, we need a portal to Makai."

"What? Why?"

"Just open it," he said as the others emerged from the woods.

"Fine," Botan pouted. "You don't have to be so rude, you know."

A portal opened and the group disappeared inside…

As soon as Kagome met the ground, demons were upon her. It was now about an hour after her arrival, and she'd already killed ten different demons. And you could follow her based on where there were burning trees, too.

"Shippo, how do you feel?" she asked the kit, who seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

"I'm fine, Momma. It's just that the air seems a little stuffier here than back home."

Kagome smiled and gently rested his head in her chest as she sat down against a tree.

"I'm sorry for making you bring me, Momma," the kit said, cuddling into her chest.

"It's fine. Better than being alone here, right?"

She felt something in the air and dove away just as the tree exploded. She spun to find a large, scaled demon standing next to the stump.

"Oh! If it isn't a little snake! And you've got a kit with you, too! I was just getting hungry," he said, stepping forward.

Kagome lifted her hand and flames erupted within her grip.

"Oh? You've got some fight in you, huh? Good. I like my meat tenderized!"

The creature lunged forward and was instantly ablaze. Within five seconds, his body was completely vaporized and Kagome sighed.

A strange scent filled the air and she spun to find a black shadow vanishing into the trees. Curious, she followed. What she found at the end of the trail was a large clearing with a fire in the center.

For the first time since getting there, Kagome couldn't feel a demon anywhere in the near vicinity. For some reason, she felt extremely safe in the clearing. So safe, in fact, that she fell asleep with the kit in her arms, neither sensing the energy presence nearby.

Red eyes stared out from the trees, focusing on the miko…

Kagome awoke feeling refreshed and completely energized. She was suddenly made aware of something covering her and she looked down to find a black cloak draped over her.

Despite the fact that this was a sign that _something_ had gotten that close to her while she was asleep, she didn't become too concerned.

There was rain coming down from the sky in torrents, and Kagome blinked at the cloak. Somebody was looking out for her.

"Momma?" Shippo asked groggily.

Kagome smiled as she gently petted the awakening kit.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said as he rose from under the cloak.

A spike of energy suddenly caught her attention and instantly both demons were up and alert. All around them, there were powerful youkai. They were surrounded.

"_Damnit! How did I let _that_ happen_!?" she thought to herself.

"Momma, we should run."

That wasn't going to happen. As soon as the kit said that, the demons emerged. As they approached, their proximity made the energy strengthen.

All around her, Kagome saw demons of different species and powers. All of them were focused on her as though she were their mortal enemy.

"Umm… Hi?"

"You're the little hanyo that's been running around and killing our prey," said a metallic voice to her right.

Kagome quickly checked her odds. There were ten demons total, and they all had power that was slightly weaker than Sesshomaru and Koga's. All of them radiated a dangerous foreboding to the miko.

"I was just killing. I don't see the problem," she said, hoping that if she didn't show fear they'd back away.

"You were killing C- and D-Class demons. You know how hard it is to find them to eat if there are just little scavengers like you? And you're not even a real demon! Who gave you the right to eat _our_ food?"

Kagome looked toward the voice to find a human-looking man glaring at her. At the center of his forehead were three spikes that rose slightly. His coal-black eyes stared at her as he licked his over-the-lip fangs hungrily.

That's when she noticed a strange gleam in all of their eyes. Her spine stiffened when she realized what the look was.

"If none of you try anything, I won't kill you," she said, meeting their gazes. The demons behind her were of no real consequence to her, as they were incredibly weaker than the other seven.

"Oh? _You _won't kill _us_? That's very amusing, hanyo."

A smile spread across her face as she pushed her energy into her hand. She'd quickly destroyed her bow here, and had just as quickly learned to improvise. Out of her youki formed a bow, and the arrow formed from her miko qi(1).

"One more chance."

All of the demons had lost their amusement the second her miko powers showed themselves.

"Little bitch! How dare a miko enter the Makai!?"

The man with horns watched as all of the others charged. Unbeknownst to them all, red eyes watched the entire scene unfold, and a sword was at the ready in case it was needed.

Kagome spun and quickly obliterated the demons behind her before purifying two more demons to her left, simultaneously shooting a ball of fire and an arrow.

With those five out of the way, the others pulled back slightly. So, they weren't completely stupid. That was good. _These_ were the kind of demons she'd come to fight in the first place.

"Who's next?" she asked as another arrow formed.

Of the five remaining, two moved to a nearby tree. They were going to gauge their opponent before they were risky enough to even move toward the girl.

"I'll kill you, you little bitch!"

A large tiger demon lunged forward and Kagome shuddered at the energy coming from his massive ax.

And then, she remembered what kind of demon she was and decided to test out what she'd been given. She felt saliva quickly building in her mouth and she spit. The light green liquid hit the tiger demon's face and he fell to the ground, rolling around as smoke rose from his flesh.

She quickly shot an arrow and his body turned to dust.

"Come on! I thought you guys would be stronger than this," she taunted. The other two morons launched at her and began attacking her simultaneously. While she moved to dodge the spiked whip one was using, she also had to block the two swords coming at her from the side. Needless to say, it wasn't an easy task. Her stamina quickly began to drain as the attacks became harder to dodge.

Finally, the whip caught her leg and she felt both swords enter her simultaneously. She fell backward, coughing blood as they pulled their weapons back.

Suddenly, one was holding her arms down while the other grabbed at her armor. She immediately knew what was about to happen, and began to struggle despite the pain she felt.

"Don't you fucking _touch_ me!"

The one pulling her armor off smiled cruelly as he lowered his head to hers.

"Or what?"

Despite the situation, Kagome quickly began calculating and began to spit again. A hand quickly sealed her mouth shut and she felt a bone wrapping around her head, effectively keeping her mouth trapped shut.

"No, bad little hanyo," the other demon scolded cruelly. "I don't feel like having my face melted off."

Her hand found a nearby branch on the ground and, if her mouth had been movable, she would've smirked. She threw the branch and the second it stabbed into the demon holding her down, she let her youki flare. The demon's head caught fire and he jumped back, screaming. As soon as his hands were gone, she grabbed the other demon by the throat and lifted.

She found her mouth could move again and she smirked.

"Shouldn't piss me off, demon."

His eyes bulged as a strangled scream escaped him. Where her hand held, black flames erupted. Soon, the demon's body was nothing but ash and she turned to the other one, who was writhing in agony.

"I warned you not to touch me," she said before another arrow hit him. This one instantly purified the beast and she turned to the remaining two.

She didn't like that both were smiling like there was some kind of joke at her expense.

"What? Too afraid?" she taunted just before her bow disappeared. That had been too fast. She wanted to take out _all _of her aggression, and that required drawing out a fight. So, claws it was, she decided before quickly donning her armor again.

Just then, she felt several more energies coming towards her at inhuman speeds. She would've tensed had she not recognized every single one of them. Damn. She had to hurry this up.

"Well? Come on down," she said to the demons, who both smirked. They landed on the ground noiselessly and then they were gone. They quickly began running at her, their youki flaring.

All around her body, she began to build energy. Suddenly, all of the energy built up vanished with the sound and effect of glass shattering. She was thrown backwards by the sudden backlash of energy.

By the time she rose to her knees, she was panting and her heart beat was tripled. She felt as though she'd just run several miles.

"Momma!"

Shippo watched as both demons drew their blades and prepared to strike the weakened miko.

"Shouldn't've been so careless, hanyo," the one with the horns said. Suddenly, he was stopped by a sword forming under his throat.

"The same could be said about you, fool."

Just as Hiei began to pull the blade back, the demon vanished, along with the other one.

"Tch," Hiei spat as he sheathed the blade. Kagome stared at him blankly as Shippo came running over.

"You saved me."

"No doubt, fool," he said, staring at where the demons had been. "A word of advice. Next time, don't go all out on the weak pawns and attack the ones that are leading them first."

Kagome nodded dumbly as Hiei helped her stand up once again.

Then, all of the energies reached them and Kagome glared at Kurama, who was the first to appear.

"Kagome!"

The group took in the miko's weakened state and then they noticed Hiei holding her up.

"Oi, Hiei, what the hell'd you do!?"

"Quiet, fool," the small demon mumbled as he helped Kagome walk toward them.

"Wow," Kuwabara said, finally sensing all of the energy around them. "What happened here? It feels like a war zone."

Kagome smiled weakly, surprised at how close it had been to that.

"Some demons showed up. Nothing I couldn't handle."

Everybody but Hiei gaped at her when she said that. These energies were that of High B-Class to Middle A-Class demons. And she killed them by _herself_!

"Momma, that was amazing!" Shippo yelled before jumping into her arms. "Especially that bow you made!"

Kagome smiled and lightly kissed his forehead.

"Thanks, Shippo. Anyway," she said, glaring at Kurama, "I said I'd be back in a week!"

Kurama raised his hands in a placating manner.

"Don't blame me. I was merely the one to tell them what happened."

Kagome could see the kitsune's resistance to the smirk that wanted to form, and her eye twitched.

"Kagome, why the hell'd you run off to Makai, anyway? And with Hiei?" Yusuke asked, glaring at the two.

"Okay, well I didn't know Hiei was with me until a few seconds ago," she said quickly, eyeing the small fire apparition. "And I came here so that I don't have to worry about everyone while I let loose."

"Let loose?" Yusuke asked incredulously.

"Yeah," she said with a sheepish smile. "I thought that if I came here and took out some of the aggression, I wouldn't hurt anyone else…"

"Lady Kagome, did you think that Naraku may have possibly known you were here?" Miroku asked in a tone _very_ rarely heard from him; anger.

"Honestly? No… I don't think he would," she said, staring at the ground.

"And where'd that come from? Optimism?" Yusuke barked. Kagome's eye twitched again and she glared at her cousin.

"No. It's because he thinks that I can kill him. And I _guarantee_ you that he's not wrong," she said as black flames started to form around her right arm.

"I thought you said he wasn't afraid of you because he gave you 'weak' demons," Yusuke said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"My instincts tell me that he's afraid," Kagome said, staring at the ground. "After what I did to Shuuketsu, I got this feeling that I'd gotten to him somehow. I don't know why, but I seriously doubt he'd come after me," she said with a shrug.

"That reminds me," Kuwabara said. "I came into this a little late, so what exactly _did_ you do to that Shuuketsu guy? The story was explained to me, but nobody could exactly tell me what you did. Just that you stabbed him and he ran away."

"What I did is the reason I couldn't stay home until I did something. I stabbed him, and then I injected those black flames into the wound. A voice in my head told me that if I did it, he wouldn't be coming after me. _Ever_ again."

Even Hiei had not known this, so once again, she shocked the entire group with this admission.

A power nearby had Kagome tensing suddenly. Nobody but Hiei and Sango noticed her tension, however, though not even they seemed to feel the energy. Even Kagome was having a hard time feeling it with all of her senses combined.

The energy was subtle, almost nonexistent. Whatever it was was very good at hiding its presence.

"What is it, onna?" Hiei asked quietly, still right next to her.

"I'm not sure," she whispered. "I think something's about to happen."

He nodded and quickly grabbed his sword. Just then, the energy dropped its concealment and Kagome spun, her bow formed on instinct, regardless of her exhaustion. The creature launched through the air and Kagome built four arrows on top of each other from her energy. Just as she was about to let them fly, the creature landed and vanished.

The next thing she felt was a sharp agony in her back and she fell to the ground.

"Kagome!"

"That's a message from Naraku. Don't screw with him," the demon said before vanishing. The world around Kagome grew dark and blurry as the poison from the beast slowly entered her bloodstream…

AN:

(1)Chi, energy, whatever. This is how it's actually spelled.

Well, there's chapter four! I hope you enjoyed it, as I took a while to really think the fight scene out. As always, be sure to review!


	6. Distress

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Distress

Everyone watched in shock as Kagome fell. That demon had just popped out of nowhere.

Before anyone could do anything, Hiei snarled and his form vanished. It reappeared seconds later with the demon. Or rather, the demon's head. It appeared that the rest of its body had been roughly severed by a cut from behind.

The still-alive demon glared at Hiei as he threw it to the ground.

"What did you do to her?"

"I gave her some of her own medicine," the demon said with a laugh. "She's venom and fire, so I injected her with ice and antivenom," the beast said as it laughed hysterically. "She won't be waking up, this time!"

In a flash, Hiei halved the head and it was aglow with black flames.

"This little excursion is over. I suggest you take her to Reikai, detective," he said as he sheathed the blade.

"Botan, open a portal. Now," he said to the communicator he'd quickly pulled out, though he didn't know why _Hiei _was so concerned.

A hole opened in the air and the group quickly escaped. Unbeknownst to them, two pairs of red eyes silently watched as they disappeared, hunger and bloodlust in their eyes…

**Hiei**

As the ogres took Kagome to a healer, Yusuke and the others turned glaring eyes on Hiei.

"Okay, spill. What the hell happened?"

"It's none of your concern, fool. You should be concerned with the fact that she's currently poisoned."

Hiei suddenly found himself at the tip of a blade and he looked exasperatedly toward the slayer.

"Tell me what you did to her."

"I did nothing. I suggest you put away your _toy_ before I get irritated," he added, glaring down at the sword.

A sudden surge of power filled the entire area around Koenma's palace and everyone watched in shock as the two ogres carrying Kagome were thrown through the walls behind them. Kagome's body fell limply to the ground and she began to spasm violently.

Their surprise turned into shock when her mouth fell open and blood began to trickle out. Her eyes flew open and they were the color of blood as well.

"Damnit!"

Yusuke began running toward his cousin when she was abruptly surrounded by large, black flames. He spun to find Hiei staring at the miko in shock. His Jagan was wide open.

"Hiei, what the hell are you doing!?"

"It seems my Jagan is being insubordinate today," he said as he forced his youki into it. Still, the eye did not close as he commanded it to.

Regardless, he rushed forward and felt the flames around her bend to allow his proximity to the miko. He knelt down next to her and the Jagan flashed bright red. The flames vanished immediately.

Kagome's flailing body slowly stilled as his hand rested on her forehead.

"Be calm, onna. The dragon doesn't like others near you, apparently."

Her eyes fluttered and they stared at the now deep, bright blue eyes that stared at the ceiling.

"Am I going to die?" she asked, her voice low and weak.

Blood was slowly curling down her delicate chin from her mouth and tears fell from her eyes.

"Kagome!"

Sango ran to her side and froze as black flames rose from her body.

"You're going to be okay, onna," Hiei said as his Jagan began to build power.

"I feel like my body is dying," she groaned before violently coughing a small spray of red onto the carpet.

The Jagan glowed a brilliant ruby-red and Hiei knelt down.

"Fire apparitions aren't that simple to kill. You're going to have to trust me, though."

Her eyes focused on him and she weakly nodded. Without hesitation, Hiei put one hand on her forehead and another on her chest, just over her heart.

"This is going to hurt, onna, but you'll live."

His eyes closed and the Jagan widened. A massive flare of power filled the palace and everyone watched in awe as black, red, silver and blue energy engulfed the two in a cage, keeping everyone else away. Before their eyes, the Jagan's power surged into Hiei's hands and into Kagome. Both convulsed violently and then, the energy around them exploded, filling the room with light…

Kagome awoke in utter darkness.

"What!? Where am I?"

"Relax," Hiei's voice said, making her jump. The darkness burst into vivid color and she found the small fire apparition standing in front of her.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking at the field around them.

"Your mind."

"My… mind? What?"

Hiei sighed and stepped close to her.

"I could not get past your barrier within your mind, so I had to do things this way."

"Okay… Why did you need to get inside my mind? There's a reason for the barrier," she said with a frown.

"Just be quiet," he sighed. "As long as we're here, your body will be healed. The poison is currently being ripped out of your body. Believe me when I say you don't want to be awake for it."

"Alright," Kagome said, sitting down. "So, I get why I'm here, but why are _you_?"

"Because my body is currently destroying the poison from your body, which requires a great deal of pain on my part from your purification, as well," he said, sitting down next to her.

"I take it you're not the kind of person to talk to pass time, huh?"

He smirked and she sat back, her eyes closing.

"Alright. Do you mind if _I_ talk?"

"Hn," he said before lying down on the grass.

"You know, I didn't tell you all everything about what happened at Naraku's," she said with a sigh.

"I know."

"How?" she asked, her eyes opening in surprise.

"I'm psychic," he snorted.

"That explains a lot…"

"However, I don't know exactly _what_ you're hiding from those fools," he added, looking up at the bright sky. "I expected your mind to be darker, somehow…"

"Yeah, I'm a little surprised it's like this, too, considering recent events. And it's not that I'm exactly _hiding _anything… It's just, there are certain details that I don't want to share…"

"And yet you're talking to me about it."

"I don't really know why," she shrugged. "Maybe it's the fact that you seem least likely to tell anyone else."

"Hn."

"You know, it hurts."

"What does?" Hiei asked, suddenly worrying that this little excursion into the onna's mind was a waste.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't feel anything… At least, not from whatever's happening right now… I sugarcoated the rape to Sango, since I knew everybody was listening and I didn't want to scare Shippo… He didn't just rape me, he made me into a _toy_," she said, her body shuddering.

"A toy? And you didn't kill him?"

"I wanted to. I mean, I'm a miko. I'm not supposed to be violent… But I wanted so badly to kill him with my own two hands the entire time… That fourth day, before he made me into a demon… he summoned a bunch of low-level demons, and when he was done raping me in front of them, he chained me to the floor so they could use me… The entire day, those demons made me suffer. The reason I was begging for death the fifth day was because, suddenly, all of the demons were purified… I looked up to find Kikyo rushing toward me."

"The miko that wanted to kill you?" Hiei asked with surprise.

"Yeah… it was really strange. She said that since I'd helped her return from the dead so often, it was her turn to return the favor… She broke the chains off of me and healed my internal bleeding… and suddenly… she had five tentacles trapping her to the ground… He threatened that he'd rape her if I didn't do what he said… and then he made me strip her naked…"

Her body began shaking as tears fell to the clearing.

"It wasn't enough… He wanted me to rape her… I couldn't do it, and he said that _he _would… Kikyo was afraid. Truly, and completely terrified… And she begged me to do it so that he wouldn't touch her… I did it, because she was as afraid as I was… When I was done, she was crying hysterically as her powers vanished. Naraku laughed hysterically before a tentacle stabbed her heart… Naraku had accomplished his goal. I was completely useless to do anything when he made me into a demon…"

She pulled her knees to her chest and let the pent-up sobs escape now.

"I couldn't do a thing to stop him, or save her…"

Even Hiei felt several emotions from that story. The most prominent were pity and hatred. Torture was one thing, but even _he _wasn't that cruel.

"I'm not going to waste my time saying it'll be fine," he said, deciding the cold truth would be a more effective motivation. "It's not. You can't undo what he did to you, no matter how hard you try. But, you _can _control the outcome of the future."

She looked up at him with tears marking her face.

"How? I couldn't kill him, and now I'm nothing but a tainted pseudo-demon who's probably dying right now…"

"You have control over the Dragon, somehow. With that, there isn't a demon that can defeat you. If you learn to control its power, that is," he added, thinking of how he'd damaged himself so many times trying to use it.

"I see… Is that what you've got under your seal?" she asked, looking at his wrapped arm.

"Yes. And it's inside of you, as well. I really don't like not knowing why that is."

"What's so impressive?"

"The only ones who can control the Dragon of Darkness are those who possess the Jagan eye like myself. You shouldn't be able to."

Suddenly, Kagome's eyes widened and she clutched her chest.

"What the hell!? I thought you said I shouldn't feel pain here!"

Hiei's eyes widened as she began panting.

"You shouldn't."

A black aura began to engulf her body and he snarled. Two red eyes formed in the darkness, and they were glaring at the small demon.

"_Who dares try to release this miko from my hold!?"_

Hiei's eyes widened as he stared at the slowly forming dragon.

"What do you mean 'release from your hold,' dragon?"

"_Isn't it obvious? The miko's slowly allowing me to possess her body."_

Kagome's eyes stared at the thing around her in horror.

"What!?"

"_You didn't know? I was summoned into you when you first awoke as a miko/demon hybrid. I am a Dragon of Chaos."_

Hiei's eyes widened. This dragon was similar to his own in every way. No wonder he'd mistaken it. But this presented a big problem…

"The Dragons of Chaos were all hunted down and killed."

"_Ho ho! The little apparition knows his history! But that isn't entirely correct, little demon. There are a few who survived. Unfortunately, I was killed by the hanyo, so I wouldn't mind getting a little payback, either," _the dragon said, its eyes moving down to Kagome. _"Your body will make an excellent vessel."_

"What's this mean?" she asked, scared out of her mind.

"_The hanyo had the audacity to call me a 'snake demon.' I hate him with every fiber of my being. What it means is that, soon, you will be me. Or rather, _I _will be _you_. I will soon completely possess your body to reap the chaos that sustains my existence."_

Kagome's eyes widened even further.

"No… Get out of my body!"

A dark laugh filled the air and the beast lowered its shadowy head to hers.

"_If you allow me to control your body, I can kill that hanyo for you._"

"I'll do it myself. Get out of my head and out of my body!" she screamed, lunging forward with shining claws. Before she reached it, a massive, spiked tail hit her and she flew straight into Hiei.

He braced himself and slid back several yards as he caught her in his arms, glaring at the dragon.

"Hiei," she panted.

"Do you want the demon gone?" he asked, looking at the approaching serpent.

"Yes."

"You're willing to let go of your main means of revenge?" he asked as it came ever closer.

"I don't care. I'd rather be myself than be possessed!"

Hiei looked at Kagome and she blushed brightly at the intensity.

"Don't you dare hit me later for this," he bit out.

With that, Hiei lowered his lips to hers. Power exploded throughout the mind-illusion as her eyes widened almost comically. As their lips pressed harder together, the power intensified. Suddenly, there was a scream of agony.

They looked up to find the snake completely melting from the power that was escaping the two, and Hiei reluctantly pulled away from the miko's sweet lips. Instantly, the harder edges to her appearance disappeared, such as the slits in her eyes and the long fangs in the back of her mouth.

The scene vanished slowly and they both opened their eyes…

They were watching as Hiei's aura wrapped around Kagome's. They both began to writhe as electricity filled the air and slowly, they could feel the poison leaving Kagome's body. Their excitement was short-lived, however.

The group watched in horror as a massive black dragon wrapped around the two on the floor. It looked like Hiei's, but it somehow felt more dangerous as its red eyes darted around the room.

"What the hell!?"

The red eyes widened in surprise after several moments of staring unblinkingly and white energy began to flow through its now shattering body.

The group watched in shock as Hiei's body lifted Kagome's. And then, their lips met and the dragon's body simply exploded with an agonized scream.

Slowly, the cage of energy around them dissipated and their eyes opened. As Hiei's eyes widened, the Jagan closed, apparently exhausted of its power from keeping the others safe.

Kagome's face turned bright pink at the feel of his arms around her and they both jumped up, refusing to look at each other. That's when the group noticed the change in Kagome's appearance. She no longer had the venomous aura of a snake demon, leaving her soul split into two colors; miko and fire demon. The dark aura of the dragon no longer filled her, and her expression was incredibly brighter.

"Kagome?"

She looked at Sango, who was closer than the others, with a bright smile.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

Kagome nodded weakly, suddenly focused on the warmth around her lips. It was like a small inferno was inside of the skin, and images of Hiei's unconscious body and hers flashed to her mind over the one of them in her dream. Her blush was now bright red, and she looked at the floor.

"I'll be fine in a few minutes…"

"Is Miss Higurashi alright!?" asked the toddler when he appeared in the room suddenly.

"She's better, it seems," Kurama said as he inspected her. "It would seem she finally has one dominant youki and no others."

Koenma looked at Kagome's aura and nodded.

"So your fire apparition side won in the end, huh?"

She nodded and Koenma smirked.

"I know this is a rather unfortunate time to bring this up, but we believe we've found Naraku's hideout."

"Where?" Kurama asked.

"It's in this Sesshomaru's land," said a voice, causing them all to jump. "What exactly has happened, miko?"

Kagome turned to find Sesshomaru inspecting her closely.

"A lot. So, his castle is in your territory?"

He gave a minute nod of his head and took in her various scents.

"It is. Now, this Sesshomaru demands to know what has happened to cause this change in your scent. It's rather disorienting," he said, sighing in frustration.

"Naraku made me into a demon."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the hate-filled tone with which she'd said that, but quickly returned to his usual stoicism.

"I see. Regardless, there is a large barrier around the castle, so I have need of the fool's sword."

Kagome's eyes fell to the ground and she held in her self-hatred so nobody would notice.

"Inuyasha is dead…"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he took in the slayer and monks' stiffened postures and Kagome's barely noticeable shaking.

"I see… And who is it that took my prey's life?"

"I did," Kagome said, her eyes glued to the floor. "He just wouldn't stop fighting me…"

"And his reason for attacking?"

Kagome simply shook her head as tears started to fall.

"It's not important… I'll break the barrier for you. Where's the castle?"

Everyone was staring with wide eyes at her and she sighed.

"How will you break the barrier?"

"I can think of a way. But I need to have the Tetsusaiga, first."

"Why do you need the Tetsusaiga, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked curiously.

"I can explain it if I can hold it," she said, thinking out the possibilities. If she was a demon, she was damn well going to use it against Naraku.

"After you were out, I tried to take it inside, but the thing shocked me," Yusuke said.

"So, we had to seal it," Sango said, drawing the blade from her side. Kagome saw several sutras wrapped around it, which would explain why she couldn't sense the youki inside. "We didn't know what to do with it, so I decided to bring it with me."

Kagome put out her hand and the second Sango handed it over, a burst of black lightning exploded outward from Tetsusaiga's sheath. The sutras caught fire and fell to the ground as ashes, and Kagome's red eyes widened.

Experimentally, she grabbed the hilt of the blade. A small spark of energy met her and then, without any hesitation, she drew the blade. As it left the sheath, youki flared and it tripled in size and deadliness. As soon as it was completely out of the sheath, red energy wrapped around them both and Kagome let out a loud scream that had all present demons cringing.

The power exploded into a bubble around her so thick nobody could see through it. And when it vanished, she was on her knees, her upper body twitching. And in her hands was a long, red blade with the kanjis for 'Fire Snake' along its length.

The blade was wrapped in a mixture of several energies, and it had a wicked curve in the center.

She slowly stood up, and everyone gasped in horror at the burns that revealed themselves covering her body. Black smoke was rising from her body now, and her eyes were a brilliant violet.

"Hoja Tetsusaiga," she panted before the sword shrank back into its rusty form and it fell from her now smoking hand.

Slowly, her eyes darkened into a dull purple and her demonic features slowly pronounced themselves. Fangs grew in place of her canines while her hands, which were elongated with blade-like nails, were wrapped in flames.

"What just happened?" Yusuke asked, staring at his panting, and now bleeding, cousin. From her bleeding wounds that had suddenly opened, smoke rose rapidly.

Sango began to run toward her friend when a strong hand wrapped around her shoulder. She turned to find Miroku holding her back.

"What the hell!? Miroku, she needs help!"

"The monk is smarter than he appears," Hiei said, taking in the aura around the miko. "If you should touch her, you would most likely die. I suggest we open her a portal to a large, unpopulated area, Koenma. _Now._"

The toddler looked at him like he was insane and the demon sighed.

Pulling out a knife, he threw it at Kagome, making everyone gasp in surprise.

It made it to within a foot of her before energy exploded outward. The knife melted as soon as it met the energy, and a puddle of liquid metal fell to the carpet, a cloud of smoke rising from it.

"Her energy is currently unstable. And it's rising. Should she not be put somewhere without people, the results will most likely be cataclysmic."

"Botan!"

The chipper girl quickly opened a portal and while Kagome's body fell through and it closed, a screen flickered to life. Before their eyes, Kagome's energy unleashed itself. The forest around her for ten square miles was suddenly gone, engulfed in a massive white-hot burst of flames. The power washed over the forest and everything was vaporized in its path.

As soon as all of the unstable power left her, she fell to the ground and began convulsing. A new portal opened and the gang was gone, surrounding her quickly.

"Kagome, it's going to be alright," Yusuke said before gently picking up her seizing form.

When they returned to her house, Kagome's mother immediately demanded to know what happened, who everybody was, where Inuyasha was, and what was going on…

A/N:

Well, that's chapter five! It took me a while, but I really like the result after I re-edited it a few times. Be sure to review! Tell me what you think about the plot so far, Kagome's ability to wield Tetsusaiga, and what you think of the new sword. And make sure to tell me what you think of my attempt at Hiei/Kag.


	7. Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Explanations

"Kagome!"

Azumi Higurashi saw her daughter being carried into her home, half naked and shaking violently, by Yusuke.

"It's alright, aunty."

"She's practically seizing! Yusuke, what happened to my daughter!?"

"She got hurt," said a new voice, followed by a man draped in a black cloak appearing.

"Hurt? Why wasn't Inuyasha with her? Who let her get hurt!?"

Kagome's eyes opened a fraction and she coughed.

"Not… their fault."

And then, she was out again, and Yusuke gently carried her up to her bedroom.

"Excuse me, Miss Higurashi," said _another _new voice. "If you would allow me, I believe I can explain this. I'm assuming you know of youkai, correct?"

She nodded and the redhead seemed relieved. He was not going to bring up her daughter being a demon, or the fact that her injuries were created by a sword that she'd held.

"That makes this easier. Your daughter was… attacked, while you were away. She won, but the results were… well, what you saw was an improvement after healing her."

"And who're you?"

"He's a friend of mine," Yusuke said after reaching the kitchen. "Shippo, go watch over her, would ya?" he asked the kit, who was practically crying. With a nod, he dashed up the stairs and into his mother's room.

"The onna got carried away and unleashed something dangerous," the man in black said. "She should recover shortly, after a few hours of hibernation."

Azumi didn't miss the youki coming from the two men, but she decided to let it go for now.

"Alright. What happened, Yusuke? Was it Naraku?"

All of them stared wide-eyed at her, but the redhead and man in black were quick to cover it.

"It was," said a feminine voice from the doorway. She turned to find Sango glaring at the floor.

"If it counts for anything, she seriously beat whatever it was he was using," Yusuke said with a smirk. "I don't think he'll be able to do much for a while."

"It doesn't, really. So, why wasn't Inuyasha there to save her!?"

"Inuyasha… he died while you were away," Sango said quietly.

"Who could kill _Inuyasha_!?" she asked incredulously. "From the stories Kagome's told me, he's almost invincible."

"Evidently not," the man in black said.

"Yusuke, who are these two?"

"Oh, how rude of me," the redhead said. "My name is Shuichi Minamino, but you may call me Kurama," he said with a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Azumi… Could you please stop doing that?" she asked, her eyes starting to hurt from the heat mirage-like shadow that kept appearing.

"Doing what?" he asked obliviously.

"The illusion. It's starting to hurt my eyes," she said as the shadow became more defined and took on the appearance of a man in a white toga.

"Illusion? I'm not… Oh. Pardon me, that's my… other half."

He closed his eyes in concentration and the shadow vanished.

"Thank you… What kind of youkai are you?"

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"You assume I'm a demon?"

"She's Kagome's mother," Miroku pointed out. "Perhaps she has her senses."

"Ah, that's possible," Kurama nodded in agreement. "Well then, I'm a Kitsune Avatar."

"I see…"

Her head began to blaze with a painful ache and she glared at the man in black.

"Stop that. It's not right to invade others' minds," she scolded, making everyone's eyes widen in surprise. "I _am _a shrine keeper," she said with irritation lacing her tone. "Now will someone please tell me what happened to my daughter? And how did Inuyasha die?"

"Inuyasha… he was killed by Kagome…"

"What!? Don't be ridiculous! What really happened?"

"The fool attacked her and she defended herself," the man in black sighed. "Nothing more, nothing less. She killed him so he wouldn't kill her."

"Hiei, it's more complicated than that," Kurama objected.

"_You _want to explain to her why the fool acted like he did?"

"Well… no… That's for Kagome herself to do and for none of us to interfere with…"

"Exactly, fox. So, just leave it at this; something bad happened while you were away, and when Kagome returned, the inu hanyo attacked her. She didn't want to die, so she defended herself, and killed him in the process," he said to her.

"And that something bad that happened was what?"

"It's not our place to tell you, Mrs. Higurashi," Kurama stated calmly. "That's for only Kagome to decide what to tell you."

"Fine… So, what happened that she's injured?"

"Because Inuyasha died, we didn't know what to do with the Tetsusaiga," Sango started. "After a number of events, she ended up having it… It transformed in her hand and in the process of transforming, it broke her control on the power inside of her. She's like she is now because she let the power loose."

"What? I thought the Tetsusaiga doesn't transform for anyone without youki… At least, that's what I understood of it when she explained it…"

"That's correct," Miroku said, staring at the floor. "The Tetsusaiga is a sword made with the fang of an inu taiyoukai, and the only ones capable of wielding it are Inuyasha and, with the help of a human arm, Sesshomaru. To use it, you need to have both human and youkai energies."

"Then how did Kagome… oh…"

Azumi's eyes widened as realization hit, and she quickly sat down.

"Oh… Kagome… to lose her miko powers like this…"

"She didn't lose them," Hiei sighed. "That much is fact. Whatever happened to her, she didn't lose her purity, though it's rather depressing," he said before vanishing.

"Don't mind him. He's not much of a people person," Yusuke sighed. "Aunty, Kagome will be fine once she wakes up… She's just had a really rough week…"

Sango started up the stairs, smiling sadly.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

She vanished around the corner and entered Kagome's room to find Shippo crying, his head on her chest and his arms around her stomach.

"Momma, please be okay! I don't want to lose you!"

Sango gently lifted the kit and covered his mouth. She placed a finger to her lips and shushed him quietly.

"Shippo, she needs to rest to get better," she whispered. The kit nodded in understanding and she released him, though he stayed in her arms.

"Is Momma really going to get better?"

"Kagome is very strong," Sango said with a warm smile. "She'll definitely get better… Now then, I'll let you sleep with her if you promise not to wake her up."

The kit's eyes began to shine brightly and Sango almost laughed before placing him next to the miko. As if it was an instinct, she turned on her side and pulled him to her chest, where he quickly fell asleep.

Sango took in the sight with amazement. Regardless of blood or species, Kagome was, for all purposes, the kitsune's mother. Such a thing between a human and youkai was rare, and something like that between a _miko _and youkai was never heard of. This miko was truly incredible…

Hiei watched the miko sleep peacefully, the kitsune pup in her arms and the demon slayer watching over them.

He began to think about that. How was it possible that a demon could let his guard down enough to sleep in the same room as a miko and a taijiya? And to even go so far as to sleep in the miko's embrace?

This odd group of friends definitely warranted some investigation, Hiei decided as he watched the miko's sleeping form with the Jagan. Something about this woman made him feel strange. Almost cared for. But that was impossible. He was the Forbidden Child, hunted down by youkai and human alike because of what his parents did. Nobody _cared _for him, although Yukina was closer than anybody else could come to it.

That thought lead him to thoughts of the years hunting for his sister, and the pain he'd gone through to get to that point…

When Kagome awoke, she found herself incredibly relaxed and rejuvenated. When she took a deep breath, she found that she could suddenly smell everything in the building around her. She could smell all of the people, several of which were demons. Then, there was the warmth in her arms, snoring lightly.

When she looked down, she saw Shippo as the truly beautiful creature he was. Hair a bright, shiny orange donned his tanned head and beautiful, cream fur covered his body, up to the velvety orange and cream tail near his legs. She could see the long, made-for-running muscles flexing and bending underneath his skin as he moved to accommodate her shift in position. Apparently, this small shift was enough to alert the kit, because his large emerald eyes slowly opened and focused on her.

A bright smile spread across his face and he wrapped his small arms around her neck.

"Kagome!"

She sat up and affectionately rubbed the spot between his ears, inciting a satisfied growl.

"Hey there, sweetie."

He looked up at her and she smiled before standing up. The second she was vertical, she realized there were two other faces staring at her. She turned to find Hiei and her mother, though Hiei was outside on a tree limb and yet unnoticed by her mother.

"Hi, Momma."

Her mother's eyes were locked on hers in fright and her breath hitched.

"What?"

"So it's true," she practically whispered. "You really have become a demon…"

Kagome's head turned to the mirror at her side and she gasped. Staring back at her was a taller, tanner, more demonic version of herself. Dark, blood-red eyes stared into her own, and her long, blood-red hair was now its original black with red tips at the bottom.

"Wow…"

She turned to her mother and found her eyeing her up and down.

"They didn't tell me how this happened. They said it was your business. But they told me you killed Inuyasha. Why? What could you have possibly done to get him angry enough to _attack _you?"

"It wasn't what I did. It was what I _didn't_ do that made him angry… I would _really _prefer not to talk about it," she sighed.

"Alright, you don't have to. But I want to know _something_. I was gone for less than two days. What happened that you went from having your friends with you and hunting Naraku to be unconscious, in the arms of your cousin, who knows two demons?"

"Well… Here's the thing. Yusuke's a psychic, kind of. And he works with those demons doing the same thing we did in the Feudal Era, only in the present."

"I thought that there were no demons in the present."

"I thought so too," Kagome said with a shrug. "Which is a good thing, I guess. That means they're doing their jobs well."

"That little psychic one was rather rude, probing my mind."

Kagome's eyes widened and slid over to Hiei, who was frowning, before quickly returning her gaze to her mother.

"Well, I'll make sure that he feels bad for it later," she sighed.

"_As if that's going to happen," _she groaned inwardly.

"So, they're demon slayers like your group?"

"Yeah. Although I don't think they're exactly 'demon slayers,' but that's a good way to think about them."

"Okay. So why are they here?"

"They're after Naraku, and they have to work with us to do it. Well, that's what their boss said, but I think they could handle a lot by themselves…"

"Alright. So, they're good demons, then?"

"Well, I'm going to have to say _definitely_, even though I don't think Hiei would like that," she said with a smirk, seeing his glare.

"Hiei?" her mother asked.

"He's the psychic one. He's saved my life more than once now, which makes him good in my book."

"Well, as long as they're not evil, it's fine," her mother sighed. "My house seems to be getting rather crowded."

"Yeah… Well, Yusuke's group shouldn't be here for too much longer. I'd imagine they'll leave as soon as I break the barrier around Naraku's castle down and he's done with…"

"I thought that Inuyasha was the only one that could break barriers."

"Well, Sango can break Naraku's barrier with her boomerang, but the barrier around the castle will probably fix anything small too fast to get through. The Tetsusaiga would be the only way, and since Inuyasha's dead, and Sesshomaru can't wield it, I'm the only one that can touch the thing without getting burned. Well, I guess that's not true, considering how I ended up here," she mumbled thoughtfully.

"They said you can wield the Tetsusaiga," her mother said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Well, I can. In the beginning, I was the one that pulled the thing out of its trap, because Sesshomaru couldn't touch it and Inuyasha couldn't seem to pull it out. Humans would be able to touch it. But, about a month ago, it started acting strangely and the only ones who could touch it were myself and Inuyasha. I think it's because, as it was made to protect Inuyasha, the sword recognized me as a co-master. But I couldn't actually use it because I didn't have youki. Now, I do and Inuyasha's dead, so it's logical that I'm the only one that can wield it now. I know how its powers work, but again, I was never able to actually use it, so it's all theory right now…"

"I see… So you're going to end this, when you recover, then?"

"Yeah…"

Her mother looked at the floor, a hardened edge to her expression as she considered her words.

"What if I were to ask you to _not _fight?"

Kagome stared at her blankly, thinking she was joking.

"You know I have to, momma," she sighed.

"No, you don't… It was one thing when you were in the past, with Inuyasha and everyone to protect you, but now… In the present, it's more dangerous because everyone in your group is unfamiliar with everything and your being in danger is more real to me here… I don't want you to go to whatever kind of place Naraku is hiding."

Kagome attempted to get her mother's gaze, but she was adamant on not looking up until her daughter responded. Somehow, a sense of foreboding was overtaking Kagome.

"And… if I say that I have to fight… what will happen?"

Her mother shook but looked up, then, a determined look in her eyes. A look that said that she was going to do something she _really _didn't want to do.

"Then I'm afraid I need to kick you out, Kagome."

Whatever Kagome had been expecting, it had _definitely _not been that. It felt as if she'd just been punched in the stomach with a brass knuckle.

"W… Why?" she asked after a long moment of silence, trying to reacquire her voice.

"I already watched my parents and husband die… I won't do it with you, Kagome. So please, don't go and fight," she practically begged. "If you don't fight, then nobody's in danger that's relevant, but fighting against that demon here… it will put more than just yourself in danger, Kagome…"

Kagome found that her throat wouldn't work and that tears were beginning to form. Whatever she was, she was _not _irresponsible, and being called that was making any form of sorrow or self-pity into self-righteous anger.

"He wants me, and my group, but nobody else," she argued.

"Yes, he wants you. And you live here, with me and your brother. Kagome, if you insist on this fight, no matter how righteous or just it is, I'm afraid that I have to ask you to leave. If it was just you, I would still feel this way, but you're putting us at risk being in this time with demons around," her mother said, her shaking worsening.

Kagome also began to shake, but for an entirely different reason.

"Momma, I can't just be homeless… I'll tell you something that recently happened. I was made into a demon myself!"

"Yes, by Naraku," her mother said in a satisfactory sort of way. "He did that to you. What do you think he'd do to your family if you somehow failed to win?"

Kagome looked at the floor, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that their voices had escalated to the point where it didn't take demonic hearing to hear them anywhere in the house. Not a single one of the people in her home… Not a single person in the house were moving a muscle, completely focused on them.

"Look," Kagome sighed, "if you're making an ultimatum between living with my family, happy, or fighting to defeat Naraku and trying to heal everything he's done because _I _broke that fucking jewel, I think we both know which one I have to pick," she said, shaking violently.

Her mother's mouth dropped at her tone, and she quickly stood up, standing inches from her daughter.

"Kagome, is that what everything's about!? _Guilt_!?"

Kagome met her mother's eyes with her own blood-red ones, and she didn't fail to notice her mother's shudder.

"No, it's about more important things right now. Guilt's part of it, but he's hurt entirely too many people to be allowed to live. Regardless of right or wrong, if it comes down to a simple explanation, the reason I have to fight is because I want him to suffer for everything he's ever done to hurt people."

Her mother's eyes widened even further at that.

"So it's revenge you're after… Revenge is an ugly emotion, Kagome. It only leads to pain and suffering, and it's not something that a shrine maiden should feel towards any living creature."

Kagome straightened and was now openly glaring at her mother.

"You know, when I'd first gotten back here, I would probably have agreed with you. But I've since learned that there are just some things that are _unforgivable_. And, whether it damns me or not, I'm going to kill Naraku, if it takes every ounce of strength I have and I die in the process. I can promise you that. There is no way he's getting away alive. I've let him go too many times."

The two women stared at each other, both red in the face with anger.

"If that's how you absolutely feel, I don't want you in my home," her mother bit out. "Having no problem with murder is something that I _cannot _condone, no matter how much familial love I have for you. I'd thought I taught you better than that…"

Her eyes were starting to overflow with tears and she looked at the floor, speaking in an emotionless shell of her voice up until now.

"You have an hour. Get anything you can take with you, get your friends, and get out," she said before storming out the door. Kagome stared with wide eyes at where she'd been, the tears flowing down her face unnoticed by her…

Kagome quietly packed anything and everything she could possibly carry by herself in fifteen minutes; a suitcase full of all of her clothes and one piece of jewelry, her backpack with a laptop, all of her books and school supplies, and she had her armor, along with the Tetsusaiga, which had been placed next to her by somebody, on her person, and a wallet full of fifties that she'd gotten doing odd jobs around town whenever she returned for a few days. As she looked around, she began to cry again, though less forcefully now. If you didn't know someone lived here, you would never know, because her room was now just a desk, a bed, and a lamp. There were no personal effects or touches anywhere in the entire room.

Shippo had obediently stayed on the bed and watched his mother moving around like a robot the entire time, knowing she was upset but not knowing what to do or say about anything.

As soon as Kagome had finished packing everything she owned, she turned to find that all of her friends were watching her with scrutiny.

"Lady Kagome, what exactly happened?" Miroku asked as she lifted her backpack onto her shoulder and she hefted the small black suitcase.

"I was given a choice between living with my family and stopping Naraku from destroying everything. I made my choice and now I need to find a place to live…"

"Is this because of us?" Shippo asked suddenly. Kagome lifted the kit into her free arm and smiled sadly.

"No, it has nothing to do with you guys. I'm just sorry I pulled all of you into this… I'll find a solution once we win," she said as she walked to the door. Everyone quickly moved down the hallway and stairs and to the front of the shrine.

"We can't do anything until you're completely healed, I'm afraid," Kurama said.

"I know… I have enough to pay for a stay at a hotel for a few days," she said as she started heading for the shrine steps. A hand caught her shoulder and she turned to Yusuke.

"Hold it, cuz'. There's no way in hell I'm letting you stay at a hotel."

"Yusuke, I seriously doubt that your house is big enough to push my problems on Aunt Atsuko," Kagome sighed. "It'll be fine."

"Perhaps Genkai would-"

"You think that hag'll care enough to let people stay at her batcave?" Yusuke cut in, making Kurama give an exasperated sigh.

"Genkai?" Kagome asked.

"A powerful psychic that lives at a secluded temple," Kurama sighed.

"I know. She helped me out when I first started to learn about my powers… Come to think of it, Yusuke and Kuwabara's energies are like hers…" she trailed off.

"That hag trained you?" Yusuke asked, surprised.

"Hey! She's not that old," Kagome defended, despite not having seen the woman for more than two years.

"Who is this Genkai woman?" Miroku asked.

"She's a powerful psychic," Kagome said. "She trained me on the basics of using my powers. Remember when I was gone for two weeks and I came back being able to make a weapon from nothing but my own energy?"

Miroku and Sango both nodded and Kagome smiled.

"That trick was something Genkai taught me."

"Well then, I suggest we see if you can stay with her," Kurama said, eyeing Yusuke warily. The expression vanished when the detective didn't interrupt this time.

"Her place is _huge_," Kagome sighed, memories coming back quickly. "Well, seeing as I really don't have many options, let's see if this will work," she said as she headed for the shrine steps. Everyone followed, and she watched as Hiei jumped down next to her as they passed the Goshinboku.

After thirty minutes of silent walking through Tokyo, they came to a massive set of steps leading as far as the eye could possibly follow into the dense forest before them.

"She lives in there?" Miroku asked as they stopped walking.

"Well, not really. The forest is a kind of defense for her house, which is way far back," Kagome said as she started trudging into the woods.

"I sense several dozen strong youki," Miroku said as he scanned the forest.

"They won't attack us unless we make ourselves look threatening to Genkai," Kagome said, eyeing the various different creatures in the forest with her new, demonically enhanced sight.

"Interesting. Demons that guard humans?"

"Not all demons are dangerous and vicious toward humans," Kurama stated. "But they're not exactly fond of humanity in general, so in exchange for Genkai letting them live in her forest, where there is recluse from humans and a large abundance of food, they guard Genkai so she doesn't have to waste energy on people who want to try anything."

The group took in the forest as they silently walked through the woods, but suddenly stopped when a particularly strong aura began to move rapidly towards them.

"Who are you, bitch?" a painfully high-pitched, loud voice asked as a small black demon appeared in their path.

Kagome met the demon's eyes with her own and the cat demon smirked.

"I don't like your aura. If you've come here to do anything to Genkai, I'll kill you where you stand."

Kagome quickly put Shippo, along with her bags, down and was behind the cat demon before her eyes even comprehended that she'd moved. The demon spun to find her walking up the stairs.

"You're boring. Go away," she sighed.

She could hear the muscles in the demon's claw tightening, but refused to provoke a fight with her.

"Stop where you are or drop," the demon said as she started walking up toward Kagome. "I don't care if you're here with Urameshi and his freak show; I'm not letting you take a step closer. Your aura's full of bad emotions. _Violent _emotions. You're not getting through."

Kagome turned to the cat demon and smirked.

"Look, I'm not here to fight. I really don't want to fight you. I just want to see Genkai. To be completely honest, though, I'm probably fast enough to get to the temple before you even move again."

A claw lashed out at her and, out of basic instinct, Kagome's hand shot up and wrapped around the wrist. Before she even knew what was happening, she had the cat demon on the forest floor, holding her down by the wrists. Her eyes widened as she jumped back up, releasing the demon in surprise.

"Bitch!"

She lunged at Kagome, who once again moved on instincts. As the woman swung her claws rapidly, one right after the other, Kagome was slowly backed into the forest as she blocked each attack. Their hands met and smoke rose from Kagome's hand each time they made contact.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you," Kagome said when she suddenly realized her friends were coming after them.

"I don't have that problem," a male voice said before Hiei appeared, his sword pressed to the cat's throat.

And then, the cat knocked the blade away and dove for Kagome, her claws gleaming with dark energy. Kagome grabbed the Tetsusaiga from her side and lifted it as she pulled it from its sheath. The cat's claw met the untransformed metal and electricity blasted her backward.

"I really don't need to deal with this," Kagome sighed. She picked up the stunned demon and threw her with every ounce of her strength, sending her barreling miles into the woods.

"Let's get going," she said, taking up their original path again.

The two met the rest of the group and they took off toward the temple with a newfound speed that was impressive for humans after Shippo jumped back up to Kagome's arms and she picked up her bags again. Of course, Kurama, Hiei and Kagome could use incredible speeds and probably get to the place in a second or two, but the four humans weren't that fast.

They reached the temple just as the sun began to set and Kagome found a blue-haired demon sweeping the grounds. As soon as they left the forest, her head shot up and her wide eyes took in Kagome's appearance with fear. It immediately vanished when the rest of the group appeared behind her, and Kagome's eye twitched. She wasn't _that _negative.

"Well well," an older, gravelly female voice said near the girl, "what's the dimwit dragged here today?"

A woman who perfectly fit her voice stepped into view, her grayish-pink hair pressed to her head by a large round hat. Her eyes fell on Kagome and she smirked.

"Ah, so it's you. It's been a while, Kagome."

"Hello, Master Genkai," Kagome said as she bowed.

"Some respect. You should try that sometime, dimwit," she said to Yusuke, who was smirking.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that, hag."

Kagome tapped the back of his head and he met a meaningful glare.

"So, why are you here, Kagome?" Genkai asked, taking in the large number of people behind her. She noticed the kit in Kagome's arm, as well as the bags, and came to a painful conclusion.

"Well… can we talk?" she asked. When Genkai nodded, the two women, along with Shippo, disappeared into the building behind the girl…

A/N:

Well, that's chapter six! I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. I sincerely hope that you, the readers, did too. I love criticisms and thoughts on my writing almost as much as I love writing. Make sure to review!


	8. Endgame

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Endgame

"So, what brings you to my temple after so long, Kagome?" Genkai asked as the two sat down at a table.

"Well… I was wondering if my friends and I could possibly stay at your temple for a few days… There's something we need to do, and they're very important to me, but I was kicked out of my home…"

"I see… And why were you kicked out of your home?"

"Well… umm, that is…"

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the kitsune currently clinging to you or the demonic aura wrapping around you, would it?"

Kagome's eyes widened, but in truth, she wasn't really that surprised.

"In truth, it really doesn't. My mother isn't as bad as you'd think a shrine keeper would be. She's pretty open-minded. When I told her I'd formally adopted a kitsune pup as my son, her only concern was if she'd ever meet him. The reason she kicked me out is because I'm too much of a risk for her and my brother."

"Really, now? I'd think, after my training, you could handle most things."

"I can," Kagome defended. "The problem is that she's afraid, and I don't blame her, that the demon that did this to me will attack my family if I don't kill him."

"A demon turned you into a demon? That sounds like a forbidden spell that would most likely kill the user," Genkai said.

"You'd think so, but he didn't even seem to be weakened by it. I need to kill him. And my mother doesn't want me to endanger them."

"So, she kicked you out, seeking safety in the hopes that somehow, this demon that you're going to kill will know that you're not connected to them, should he survive?"

"Basically," Kagome sighed. "I was too angry to point that out, though. So, can my friends and I stay here?"

"Sure," Genkai sighed. "But I want to know the rest of this story. I'm curious about why you've got a demonic sword with you while wearing anti-demon armor. Your friends are rather interesting, too. The monk seems to have a rather dangerous power around him."

Kagome nodded enthusiastically before standing back up and bowing.

"You know where the guest rooms are."

Kagome nodded once more before exiting the building and walking her friends to their temporary house. Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama took off into the woods shortly thereafter and Kagome sat down with Genkai again, without Shippo this time.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't tell me everything last time, based on your friends," Genkai observed.

"Well, it's not that I lied or anything. I just told you the basics. I'm a miko who didn't know how to control her energy, and needed to learn because my group of friends and I needed to kill a dangerous person."

"I may be old, but I think I would've remembered if you'd mentioned the person you need to kill is a demon," Genkai sighed.

"Well, I didn't think that demons still existed," Kagome said in her defense. "And I didn't know that you knew about demons because of that. So, if I'd said that, I thought I'd be put into a mental institution or something."

"What do you mean 'still,' exactly?" Genkai asked while Kagome mentally kicked herself.

"Well… Here's the thing. My group is from the past. Five hundred years, to be exact… And I'd assumed that, because I've never seen a demon in this time other than the soul piper and the Noh mask, that they all died sometime between then and now. I didn't know about Makai until very recently."

"So, you were playing demon slayer in the Feudal Era, then? And this demon you're hunting has brought all of your friends here. How exactly do you travel back and forth?"

"Well, we don't. Not anymore. The Bone Eater's Well was a kind of wormhole-thingy that, because of the Shikon no Tama, allowed myself and a friend that was connected to me travel back and forth. But the jewel's on this side, now, so the well's sealed. The demon we're hunting was also from the past, but he somehow found out about the well and disappeared through it."

"I see… And what is this demon's name?"

"Naraku."

Genkai's eyes widened at that.

"The spider hanyo?"

"Yes. How do you know about him?"

"Personally, all I know is the legend of the Shikon no Tama. I'd assumed Naraku was just part of something that was _just _a legend. I mean, believing in demons is easy, for obvious reasons. But believing in a legend about a wish-granting jewel born from the souls of a powerful miko and three demons is rather hard for me."

Kagome reached into her pocket and revealed the three jewel shards in her possession.

"It's not a legend. And I'm the reason Naraku's alive, so I need to fix my mistake. Kill Naraku, complete the jewel, and wish for anything bad that happened as a result of my mistake to be fixed. Those are my goals."

"I see," Genkai said again, eyeing the girl. "And the fact that he's made you into a demon and _obviously _other things to you doesn't enter the equation, right?"

Kagome looked at the floor.

"That has a lot to do with it," she ground out. "It's the reason I was kicked out. My mother doesn't believe that revenge is ever justified, as well as wanting to be safe. I understand that she wants to be safe, along with my brother, but thinking nothing ever warrants hatred is a belief that was ripped out of me."

"Well, I'm not your mother," Genkai said. "There are certainly things that can be done to warrant death. But listen carefully, and hopefully you'll learn this lesson as fast as my others. Acting rashly _because _of hateful revenge is a fool's way to die. You have assets and friends that are obviously here for the same reason you are, so don't hesitate to have their help."

A wry smile formed on Kagome's lips at that.

"When did you get into the whole 'ask for help' philosophy?"

Genkai snorted at that.

"The dimwit's not the best in logic while fighting. I learned from watching his group that sometimes, it's necessary to ask for help."

"Huh…"

"Speaking of which, how exactly do you know the dimwit?"

"Oh… Well, Yusuke's my cousin," Kagome said with a sheepish smile.

Genkai laughed heartily at that.

"It figures. Well then, lesson's over. I think you'd benefit from watching their sparring match in the woods," she added as they both felt the explosions of power nearby.

With a bow, Kagome disappeared from the room.

"Where are you going?" Miroku asked as she passed the 'guest house' on her way to the woods.

"I want to see what those guys can do," she said before disappearing into the woods. After a few minutes of walking she reached a _massive _clearing in the forest, filled with marks of a battle.

A loud sound brought her attention skyward, where she saw something incredible.

Yusuke, who now had a massive amount of youki coming from him as well as a new appearance, was blocking Hiei's sword with his right hand while Kurama swung his whip at both of them in a circular swing. Meanwhile, Hiei swung at Yusuke so fast it was hard for Kagome's eyes to follow while the Jagan eye was wide open, surging with power.

"Shotgun!" Yusuke screamed as he swung his fist at Kurama. A massive spray of energy bolts launched from his closed fist, and the redhead quickly used his whip to lever himself to a tree below. And then, Hiei launched after the redhead while dodging Yusuke's smaller, but still very powerful, bolts of energy.

"Damnit, Hiei! Stop showing off! Spirit Gun!"

Another blast of energy left his extended pointer finger and Hiei smirked. Kagome saw his plan and couldn't help smirking too.

Just as the spirit gun was about to hit the apparition, he dropped down, leaving the off-guard kitsune avatar in its path. It hit the redhead full-force and threw him into the tree behind him with a loud snapping sound. Kagome would've winced if she hadn't known the sound had issued from the tree, and not the demon connected to it.

"That was rather unpleasant," Kurama groaned, shaking his head as he jumped away from the falling tree. "Petals and Thorns!"

He crushed the rose in his hand and a spray of blade-like rose petals formed a vortex around the other too. Just before it closed, Hiei vanished and appeared behind the fox, swinging his blade with incredible speed. Without even turning, Kurama flicked his whip backward and it lashed against Hiei, knocking him down from the limb supporting himself.

The vortex of youki-infused rose petals suddenly exploded as a burst of youki shot from Yusuke's hand. Kurama dodged this as well, and it smashed into the base of the trunk. Unfortunately, it was the tree Kagome was practically under, and it had broken in just the right way to fall to the right instead of left.

That's when the three demons noticed Kagome watching them, and the tree plummeting toward her.

"Watch out!"

Yusuke began to run toward Kagome when she did something _really _amazing. She jumped into the air and spun, kicking the thing mid-way up its length. As her foot met the wood of the tree, a resounding _snap _echoed through the entire clearing as it was decimated by the contact as well as the flames that had erupted from her youki.

"Whoa," Yusuke yelled in surprise. "How in the hell'd you do _that_!?"

Kagome landed from her several-foot jump as though she'd hopped a few inches and the three demons stared at her incredulously.

"It would seem your body's adjusted quickly," Kurama observed.

"Yeah, I guess so… My body seems to be completely healed, so whenever you want to get this done, tell me," she said before disappearing into the woods.

The three quickly returned to the temple to find something similar to what they'd been doing going on. As they emerged from the woods, a massive _whoosh _of air caught their attention. They watched as a huge boomerang whizzed through the space in front of them and started heading for Kagome, who watched the weapon calmly.

Just before it reached her, she dove into the air and grabbed the handle with a fist while spinning. As she landed, her body made one final rotation and the weapon smashed into the ground.

"You've definitely improved, Kagome," Sango said as she walked toward her weapon. "I remember when you first asked me to help you, you had to dive for the ground every time."

"Not _every _time," Kagome complained. "Just nine out of ten."

"And the tenth one almost killed you," Sango added.

"It did _not_! I was just out of it for a few minutes."

Sango smirked as she pulled her weapon from the ground.

"Regardless, good work. So, why'd you ask for the workout? Shouldn't you be letting your body recover?"

Apparently, Kagome was either oblivious to their presence or she was ignoring the demons, because she smirked.

"My body's fine. I was just watching those three fight, and now I'm revved up."

"They're good?" Sango asked curiously.

Kagome nodded before smiling.

"I noticed something interesting about Yusuke's energy."

"Oh?" Sango asked while her cousin's eyes widened. Evidently they really _were _oblivious to the demons' presences.

"Yeah. His aura feels like that mazoku's… You remember, right? The huge guy that helped us when I was out of energy and your weapon was gone while that horde of demons was attacking?"

Sango's eyes widened at that.

"Oh! I think his name was Raizen or something like that, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, that's it," Kagome said. "I wish I knew if he was still around. We never got the chance to thank him for that…"

Yusuke stepped further out of the trees, coughing to get their attention. Both jumped when they realized the demons were there.

"Oh… hi, Yusuke… How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to hear you talking about me," he said with a shrug. "You met Raizen?"

"Well, _met _wouldn't really be the right word. More like… we got saved by him."

"That old bastard actually helped humans?"

Yusuke started laughing hysterically at that.

"Oh man, if I'd known he was such a softie, I wouldn't've given him so much credit!"

"He _was _in love with a human," Kurama chided.

"Wait… Is he still around?" Kagome asked. Immediately, Yusuke's mood sobered up and he stared at the ground.

"No. He died a while back."

"Oh… So, why do you have his energy?"

"He was my ancestor. It's how I'm technically a hanyo."

"You said your body is healed, Kagome?" Kurama asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. As soon as you want to go to Makai…"

Kagome suddenly trailed off as she looked to the side.

"Umm… How exactly do those portals open?"

"It's rather complicated," Kurama sighed. "Why?"

"I'm getting that feeling again," she said while grabbing the hilt of her sword. "But it doesn't feel like a good thing this time."

They turned to look where her focus was and were shocked to see a massive, black portal opening with a very powerful hate coming from inside.

A long blade shot out of the hole and Kagome caught it an inch from her throat, a dark glare on her face. The pain from the gash in her hand was short-lived as the incredible strength and speed with which the sword had come through the portal made it impossible to actually stop the weapon. As it dug into her shoulder, black smoke rose and Kagome's lips pulled back in a vicious snarl.

Everyone watched as a tall man dressed in armor stepped out of the hole, which swirled behind him. A massive vortex-like wind engulfed Kagome's body and everyone watched as the sword in her melted, sealing the wound as her eyes bled red.

"What? Not happy to see me again, Kagome?" the man mocked. His mocking smirk vanished when her body did, and suddenly, his head was in the air while his body burned.

"Not good enough, I'm afraid," the puppet said with a smirk before a loud cry of pain filled the air. Kagome spun to find Shippo being dragged through the portal by a tentacle. Just as she reached him, he completely ended up on the other side and the portal slammed shut.

"I hate your fucking puppets," she snarled. "Let's hope the fire near him will be big enough to burn you, you manipulative bastard! Hoja Tetsusaiga: Dragon's Breath!"

She swung her blade down, halving the head. Suddenly, it exploded in black flames and Kagome landed where the portal had been.

"Can you open a portal to where that one opened from?" Kagome asked without turning around. She heard Yusuke talking to Botan and a hole opened in front of her. Another opened and Sesshomaru stepped out, glaring at Kagome.

"He's made an open attack, then?"

They watched as the already-wicked curve of the Tetsusaiga grew even more deadly and long claws formed on Kagome's hands, gleaming in the light. Without a word, she dove through the portal, and the others rushed after her.

Kagome landed in the middle of a miasma-filled clearing that was completely filled with Naraku's disgusting scent.

"Don't make me laugh," she screamed before smashing her blade into the ground. It exploded upward in a spray of dirt and air, and the miasma was gone. Before her was another puppet, who was staring at her with a cruel smile.

"Hello, Kagome. What brings you here?"

She launched forward, swinging her blade at the rapidly retreating figure. Finally, she lost her very thin patience and used every ounce of speed her legs could handle. The puppet's eyes widened as its body was completely rendered by a nearly-invisible Kagome.

"Listen up, you twisted fuck," she bit out as more cuts formed along the puppet's body. "One way or another, you'll be dead before this day is over. I swear to that. But if you touch my kit, I'll make sure to take things nice and painfully slow. You will be _begging _me to kill you before I'm done. This is a sample," she said before stabbing straight through the puppet's right eye. Blood dripped down the length of the sharp steel and then, the head exploded with flames.

The others appeared, then, and Kagome took in the auras within the forest.

"He brought us here on purpose, it seems," Kurama said as he felt the miasma that had been where they were standing.

"Yeah? Good! I really want to kick this guy's ass!"

Kagome's senses stretched throughout the forest, and she snarled.

"He wants to play games. I've had enough."

She drew her blade and a massive vortex of youki formed around her entire body as she lifted it.

"Hoja Tetsusaiga: Wind Scar!"

She swung downward and a massive explosion of black energy shot forward, turning the forest before her into a barren strip of land. The attack hit an invisible wall and rode upward into the sky before it finally disappeared.

The sword became wrapped in diamond shards, and she once again swung it with enough force to create a wall of energy in front of her.

"Adamant Barrage!"

Massive spikes of diamond launched through the air, the barrier, and finally, the castle. It hit full-force and the castle shook as its structure began to break apart.

"My my, that was rude," a voice said, making Kagome's head whip around.

"I'm done," Kagome said in a cold, dark voice. "You're going to die, and I'm going to make sure I'm the one that does it."

"Ah, revenge is never a good emotion, Kagome. Especially in a miko," his voice said from her other side.

"It's not revenge. Kikyo and I are the reasons a bastard like you exists, and you killed Kikyo. I'm going to undo your existence, if I have to kill one demon inside of you at a time."

"Oh?" an amusedly chuckling voice asked.

"There's something you don't realize, Naraku," she said as her eyes bled red. The group watched as long, gleaming fangs and claws formed and the blade became even more brutal.

"Pray tell, Kagome, what's that?"

Her body vanished, and a third of the remaining forest exploded with a massive burst of blue flames. Kagome reappeared, pushing Naraku with her blade, into the clearing.

"I can see you now, with or without that damned stone of yours or the barriers or traps, or any of your pathetic tricks! You have nowhere to hide!"

She swung her foot upward and Naraku's eyes widened as she completely snapped his jaw. Off of his face. The instant the force was applied, the puppet's body burst into flames and Kagome turned to the only remaining part of the forest. In front of the tree lines stood Naraku, his left hand wrapped tightly around an struggling Shippo's throat.

"Put him down," she ground out, earning a smirk.

"Oh, but what would be the fun in that? I rather savor the idea of taking away everything you hold dear to you, one by one. First, it was Kikyo's appearance as a power to look up to, then it was Inuyasha. And now it will be your… _abomination. _I mean, really? A kitsune pup taking a _miko _as a mother. It's disgusting."

He turned his head so it was closer to Shippo's ear, and he smirked cruelly.

"You know, she doesn't love you. The second you seem like a danger, she'll kill you without any hesitation, just like she did to Inuyasha."

"The only one that's going to die here is you," Kagome bit out.

"Ah, but that would require your willingness to attack me while I hold his life in my hands. A very interesting dilemma, isn't it? If you _don't _attack, I'll kill him, and if you _do _attack him, I'll kill him. What will you do? Fight and risk his life or do nothing and throw yourself on my nonexistent mercy?"

Kagome's grip on her blade tightened and she smirked.

"I'm not as weak as you think I am."

"Oh? Well then, by all means, make your choice."

Kagome slowly sheathed her blade and a cruel laugh Naraku echoed around them from Naraku.

"Fool!"

Shippo glared at the hanyo, but his eyes widened when Kagome began to move. Her foot smashed into the side of Naraku's head just as she gently caught the falling kit in her arms.

"You're the fool, you bastard," she bit out before gently kissing Shippo's forehead. "Are you alright, sweetie?"

Shippo nodded, though the effort seemed to cause him pain. At his wince, Kagome gently ran her hand through his hair and walked over to the group.

"It will be alright. I promise," she said before putting him down. And then, she was rushing at Naraku, who began to bombard her with tentacles as she drew her blade once more. She began to simultaneously swing her empty claw and the Tetsusaiga at the retreating hanyo, and growled as he easily dodged each strike.

"I have to say, that was quite an interesting trick."

"Be impressed when you're dead!" she yelled as power exploded from the sword. "Wind Scar!"

His body was blown into the sky and began to quickly collect itself once more. Once completely healed, Naraku snarled at her with blood-red eyes.

"I don't like that attack."

"Too bad," she yelled before spinning. The blade pulled across Naraku's chest, and he groaned.

Blood fell to the ground in a torrent, and Kagome swung her free hand when not swinging the Tetsusaiga at the quickly retreating hanyo.

"What's wrong? No cannon fodder to help you this time?"

A stabbing pain filled several places along her body and Kagome looked down to find spikes quickly descending into the ground.

Blood poured from her new gashes, and she stumbled slightly, making Naraku smirk cruelly.

"I believe that losing so much blood will make things hard for you, Kagome."

A dark, ominous wind picked up, encircling the clearing as youki began to build rapidly.

"You think so? _I _believe that you talk too much!"

Flames engulfed her body and Kagome launched forward, her blade as flames shot at the retreating hanyo.

"Wind Sc-"

Just before she finished her attack, several dozen tentacles shot up from the ground and wrapped around the blade. Suddenly, there was an echoing _snap _and the Tetsusaiga fell to the ground as scrap metal, the youki in the blade quickly disappearing from the metal.

"Ha! Without your protector's sword, you're nothing!" Naraku mocked.

The hilt in Kagome's hand turned to ash and a massive wave of youki entered her body, leaving the sword to be one with its de facto master. Her claws turned blood-red as the youki in her body flowed over them, and dark black slits grew in her eyes.

"Without my 'protector's sword' I'm a full-blooded demon," she said quietly. His eyes widened as she lunged for him, both youki-infused claws swiping for his throat so rapidly they were nearly invisible.

Suddenly, she sensed power building in her allies and smirked. If she had a choice, she wasn't going to lose her sanity to the overwhelming bloodlust coursing through her.

"And I have something that makes you infinitely lacking."

"Oh?"

"I have my friends," she said before vanishing. All at once, her group released their attacks. A massive boomerang swung through the air, halving the hanyo's body. Then, Yusuke's spray of energy shot forth, though it was purple with his reiki and youki. A vortex of youki-infused rose petals blasted forward, and a massive, black dragon of youki launched through the air at incredible speeds. As they converged on the hanyo, an agonized scream filled the entire forest.

And then, in a flash, it was gone and Kagome walked over to the damaged body. She knelt down and reached forward, smirking.

"You lose."

His eyes widened as she reattached the jewel, completing it. A massive burst of pink light filled the clearing and the hanyo screamed as it bombarded him with light.

"Shikon no Tama, hear my wish," Kagome said. "I ask of you to undo the pain and suffering caused, either directly or indirectly, by the Shikon no Tama, and in effect, the hanyo known as Naraku."

The clearing was filled with a massive, pink mist that was centered around Kagome. A woman formed in front of her.

"As you wish, it shall be done. Kohaku will be brought back, and Inuyasha and Kikyo will live a peaceful life with each other. The monk's curse will disappear, and Koga will be brought back to life. You need to be the one to end Naraku's existence, however. The purity of this wish will put the Shikon no Tama to rest for all eternity, and your friends will be allowed to choose whether to live now or in the past."

"Thank you," Kagome said with tears in her eyes.

"However," Midoriko continued sadly, "your wish was not an entirely pure one, as you made it, at least in part, to make yourself feel better. And you shall therefore suffer the consequences. Life as long as the one you will grow to love. Until you love, you will go through time, unaging as the demon you've become. You will suffer a life where you will watch your friends and family slowly turn to bones and dust over the flow of time. I'm sorry for you, Kagome. I would truly not wish this upon _any _human being…"

Kagome looked at the ground, smiling sadly.

"It's alright… I knew going into it that something along these lines would happen… I don't care if I suffer, as long as they're not suffering any more…"

Midoriko nodded before the light surrounding them vanished.

A loud snarl filled the clearing just before a large number of tentacles tore into Kagome's side. Her eyes widened as blood rolled down her chin.

"Kagome!"

The tentacles turned to dust and Kagome growled.

"It's over. You have no more power."

As she said it, her eyes began to glow a brilliant silver and the new wave of tentacles coming for her also turned to dust.

And then, she moved behind him and his body was in two burning halves on the ground.

"I promised you a slow, painful death, but knowing that you lost is a good enough torturous end for me," she said before slowly coughing a spray of blood onto the ground.

"Kagome!"

She felt her friends rushing toward her and she smiled sadly at Sesshomaru, who was eyeing her curiously.

"Sorry for breaking the Tetsusaiga…"

He appeared as if he was about to answer, but if he did, Kagome didn't hear what he had to say, as she blacked out just then…

A/N:

Well, there's chapter seven. I enjoyed writing this fight. If any of you have read Darkness, you may have noticed that I like the fights between Naraku and Kagome to be painful and _very _graphic. It's not because I love gore, though I do. It's because it's the way I think of a final battle between a miko and a demon of Naraku's twisted mindset _should _be painful-sounding. Those with the truly manipulative minds usually turn out to be the most psychotic killers, after all. So, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Be sure to review. Constructive criticism is one of a writer's most important tools, as it allows them to see mistakes and logical missteps.

Be sure to come back for the finale!


	9. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Epilogue

Kagome was floating in a dark, murky abyss, listening to the nothingness around her.

"So… I'm dead?" she asked no one, her voice echoing around her. "Huh… I'd have thought dying would be more dramatic…"

Suddenly, a sharp pain filled her and light engulfed her.

"What!?"

"Kagome?" a voice asked next to her. She slowly cracked her eyes to find two golden eyes staring down at her. She winced at the sudden headache that erupted from the brilliant lights around her, and tried to crawl back into the darkness.

"Oi, she's awake!"

Warm hands went around her and cold energy slowly filled her, soothing the pain until she relaxed. This time, when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring up at the blue eyes of a female demon.

"Are you feeling better?"

Kagome nodded slightly before sitting up. That was a mistake. She winced at the sharp pains that filled her body, and she looked down to find her whole body bandaged.

"Umm… Why do I look like a mummy?"

"I hadn't arrived yet to properly do it," a female voice said. Kagome looked slowly to her side to find Kikyo sitting in a wooden chair near her.

"You're alive… The wish was granted!"

She looked at Inuyasha and instantly, the slight happiness was gone.

"Sorry, Inuyasha. I kind of broke your sword…"

"Feh. It's fixed. Besides, that's not what you should be sorry for."

Kagome looked up to find him glaring at her, and she immediately remembered why she'd _needed _to make her wish to bring him back.

"I'm sorry…"

"For?"

"Killing you…"

"Oh… That's fine. I was being a psychotic jackass," he said with a shrug. "I was talking about the fact that you damned yourself because you felt bad in the first place about it."

"Heh… I don't think I'm sorry for that… Where are we, exactly?" she asked, finally noticing her surroundings.

"We're in Lady Genkai's temple," Miroku's voice said somewhere nearby.

Suddenly, a tall shadow loomed over her and she frowned at the smirk on Yusuke's face.

"You should be more careful, Kags. You scared the shit out of us, fainting like that. But it's really amazing. The wounds you got were almost gone by the time we got you here."

Kagome remembered what the jewel had said and smirked.

"I'm not going to die for a _long _time."

"Huh?"

"The jewel, because my wish wasn't completely pure, cursed me to live for as long as it takes for me to find someone to love, and then, I'll die when they do. Until then, I'm pretty much unkillable."

"Damn, that sucks…"

"At least my wish was granted… I sense Koga and Kohaku nearby," she said, looking at Inuyasha.

"Yeah, that damn wolf showed up when we did in… wherever the hell this place is… Kohaku was with Sango when we showed up."

"So, Sango's happy, Kohaku's alive, Koga's not dead, and you two are both alive. Naraku's dead, the jewel's destroyed, and I'm an immortal, ageless fire apparition… Well, that sounds like most of a good deal to me."

She felt something tugging on her mind and let her defenses slightly down.

"_So you're aware of your situation, then?"_

_Yes, _she sighed inwardly. _You wouldn't happen to be willing to teach me how to use these powers, would you?_

"_Hn. After what you've done, I don't think _I _would be the one teaching anything," _Hiei's voice replied.

Suddenly, images from the two times they'd kissed flashed to the connection and Kagome fought the blush that was forming.

"_Perhaps we should discuss things later," _Hiei's voice said before she severed the connection.

"So, what do you think you're going to do?" Kikyo asked.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "Naraku's dead and the jewel's gone. My purpose is up."

"I wouldn't say that," a male voice said, making Kagome suddenly aware of how clustered the small room was.

"Umm… could everyone give me some air?" she asked, looking at the nine adults currently in the room. She found Shippo staring up at her and gently lifted him into her arms.

And then, it was just Kagome, Koenma, Yusuke and Shippo.

"So, why do you think my purpose isn't done?"

"You're strong, and you've got enough youki to match Hiei," the brunette teenager said. There are other demons out there like Naraku, if not possibly stronger."

"So, you want me to be a fighter?" Kagome asked as she closed her eyes in thought.

"Well… not in so many words. More like… a _patroller_. Should a strong demon happen to surface, then you would aid Yusuke and his team in handling it."

"Hold it," Yusuke said. "There's no way you're putting me in charge of her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome pouted.

"No offense, cuz', but you're kind of a loose cannon. I can't imagine being a boss to someone more stubborn than me."

"I'm not _that _bad!"

"Yeah, you are. It runs in the blood," he said with a shrug.

"Regardless, I'll give you time to think it over," Koenma said before turning.

"You're saying that beings worse than Naraku might show up?" she asked, stopping his movement.

"It is most likely."

"Then I'll do it. If I'm going to be around for who knows how long, I might as well put my… _talent _to use," she said as her claws caught the light around her and gleamed.

"Very well, then. You'll be contacted when a job comes up," he said before disappearing. Kagome looked at her bewildered cousin with a frown.

"What?"

"Just like that? You have no problem going against demons?"

"It doesn't really matter, at this point," Kagome sighed. "I have two options. I can fight, and distract myself for however long this planet's around, or I can sit around and mope for all eternity. I'm apparently supposed to fall in love with someone, and sitting around waiting will most likely make getting to that point a pain. Besides, I'm a demon, so there's no point in _not_ using my powers."

"You realize that I'm your boss now, right?"

"I think I can handle it," she said with a shrug. "Mind leaving me alone for a bit?"

He nodded and was gone from the room. Kagome looked down at her son and smiled.

"How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm fine," he said with wide, green eyes. "Are _you _okay?"

"I'm fine," she responded with a smile. "Sorry for putting you at risk like that. I know that must have been scary."

"I knew you wouldn't let anything happen," he said with a massive smile.

Kagome kissed his forehead laid down.

"I love you, Shippo. Momma needs to rest, now."

"Okay, Momma," he said before lightly hopping off of her.

Quickly, Kagome was unconscious again…

A brilliant, blue sky above made Kagome's eyes squint. She slowly sat up to find herself lying in a beautiful field.

"Hello, Hiei," she said without turning around. The demon's approaching aura hesitated before he sat down next to her.

"Hello, onna."

"We're in my mind, aren't we?" she asked, looking around.

"It would appear so, though I didn't do it this time."

"You didn't do it this time?" she asked with wide eyes.

"No. It appears that one of us pulled me into your mind while we were both sleeping…"

"Well, since we're here until one of us wakes up, want to talk?"

Hiei shrugged before lying back on the grass.

"So… I guess I'll be working with you now."

"Koenma knows an asset when he sees it."

"Is it true that there are more powerful demons out there than Naraku?" Kagome asked, hoping she got a negative answer.

"It's most likely. If you're going to be alive until you find love, for whatever reason, you'll be around to witness the rise of powerful demons through the ages."

"Well then, I think I made the right choice. So… do you want to talk about those kisses?"

"They saved your life," he sighed.

"It's not like I'm going to hit you for doing it. I know that they saved me. I was more curious as to why."

"Why what?"

"Why'd you save me? I really doubt you're the kind of person to save someone just because you felt like it."

"I don't know why I did it. Perhaps it was the fact that you are now a fire apparition, of which very few remain."

"Is that the reason I don't seem to have any problems with you?"

"Most likely. The apparitions are closer to each other than any other youkai. The only species that can insight trust where it isn't given anywhere else. I believe you're waking up," he said before the scene vanished…

Afterword:

And, after several more days of discussions, everyone made their choices. Miroku and Sango, after a tearful good-bye, returned to the Sengoku Jidai, where they started a family. Koga returned with them, deciding to know how the past got to the time he'd been revived into.

Inuyasha, Kikyo, and Sesshomaru returned to the Makai, where they lived their lives and aided, to the day they all died, in the fight to keep Earth safe from demons. Shippo grew up while his mother didn't, and eventually joined in the fight for humanity.

And, for the next three decades, Kagome suffered a limbo existence of never aging and using her powers to protect the Ningenkai from rogue demons. Finally, after these three decades of working with Yusuke's group, she finally fell in love.

The psychic and she lived for several more decades before, finally, they died saving the Earth together, their children left behind to continue the work of the two.

A/N:

I loved writing this fanfiction, and had a hard time thinking of how I wanted to end it. Unfortunately, I like the ending I came up with, but I don't _love _it. But I want to know what you, the readers, think.


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